Fate: A Volcanic Summer With Alter

by AGeekyWriter

There was a lot Ritsuka had experienced over the last few years trying to save the world. But times to relax were few and far between. In between writing a manuscript with Jeanne Alter's scrapped Doujin ideas, helping her to win the ServFest contest, and BB certainly being a source for more problems, he was starting to worry once again if there would be any time to relax.

6. Apart From Alter I

AN: When I first began this story in the wrap of the Summer Alter's first even run I had a very simple plan. Just a three-chapter story that built to smut a scene that would've been just a wholesome story about two people falling in love. Now here we are, near four months after the second and final re-run of the event, on chapter six, where things have become far larger than I ever intended as I slowly realized I wanted to tell a fully fleshed out story with dropping hints to several build-ups.

BUT it has been a long while, hasn't it? To start, SOO much has happened since I last had to write an author's note. The first point being I'm now officially a published author with a short story on the Kindle. Labor of love that one. Secondly, I've moved three times in four months to add a bit of flair to the chaos of just trying to keep my writing habit intact. Though as I am without college life for the next few months, and I've settled into a place I can stay for at least a year, I've finally got the time to start working on my fanfictions near as much as my actual books. I've completed about twenty pages for this chapter and just over ten for the next in the last few weeks alone. So here's hoping I can keep that momentum intact for a while.

WARNING: So I'm using Caster Blue Beard as I know him mostly from FATE/Zero so I feel the need to at least warn about creepiness vibes here? I sort of fought myself on how dark I should take this opening scene and eventually decided to avoid some hentai cliches, even if they are more in the position of character focus now.

So this chapter is going to be entirely from Jeanne's perspective. This would be the second part of the previous chapter that I said was being broken up into three sections. I do hope now, due to their length it's obvious as to why. This chapter also starts to "fix" some continuity errors with a few of the canonical things about the event, while also dropping at least one hint where this is on the FGO timeline. Needless to say, there are going to be more developments on it in the future. Alright, now that's clearly enough from me, for those of you who've decided to stick around, here's the latest chapter involving some of your favorite servants.

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Jeanne had struggled to sleep at first, and when she'd finally managed it, it hadn't been a pleasant one. If she was being honest with herself, it was exactly what she should've expected. Waking up tired. When she felt the warmth of the morning sun crack through the window, her amber eyes were already open, rays of sunlight gleaming through the blinds of windows landing on her skin in distinct patterns. She rested the back of her hand against her forehead as she stared into the wall.

One Gilles's little familiars were curled up in a muscle mass of clicks in the corner, on a bed. Like a pet dog. It even made slight purring noises as it seemed to snuggle into its bed further.

Another day, another crisis.

His voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. "Ah, you're finally awake I see?" The blue caster's eyes seemed to roll onto her as they always seemed to do when adjusting focus. "You must've had a rough flight. Or did our masters truly do something so ungodly cruel and taxing to you that you wanted to get away?"

Alter frowned a little, sitting up and stretching her arms high above her head. "What?"

It was Gilles's turn to frown. "You were asleep for two days."

The berserker servant stiffened, "Shit." she touched the small area where the cut had been on her hip. Noting it had healed fully, before she swung her lugs off the couch, and yawned a little into her next stretch. Her lip twitched slightly. "You could've just woken me up."

His expression didn't change. "If I had, I'm sure you would accuse me of plotting to do something with you."

Alter huffed a little. "Aren't you plotting to do something with me?"

"Oh-" He clapped his hands together, and closed his eyes. "I've planned a great many things for you my holy virgin. Or should I say unholy virgin?"

"Wow, disgusting creep much?" Alter said bitterly, hands daring to touch the hilt of her sword just to make sure it was still in reach. If she didn't have to focus on summoning it, the better off the situation would be. "Trust me, if you try anything you're getting eviscerated so hard that our masters will have to re-start from scratch after re-summoning you."

"Indeed." He agreed. "Which is why I have traps rigged all throughout my entire home" Gilles smiled, clapping his hands flat together as if he'd said nothing of importance. "There is bound to be some breakfast around here somewhere." He turned and walked back through the kitchen. "Come, there is cereal in the cupboard here. I'm afraid it might be a bit stale though."

Alter had frozen at the threat of traps, not immediately following behind him to the kitchen. Her eyes darted around the room to see if she could easily spot any of them. She shook her head a little bit as she found her feet. With a sigh, she realized, lamely, that she couldn't.

Gilles, while not the most powerful caster at Chaldea, had more than enough tricks up his sleeves to keep his little traps hidden away from the likes of her. She thought that if she were still an avenger servant, she might've had better luck. The madness enhancement also clouded her vision when it came to sensing threats.

Damn it, it was supposed to be only one night.

Reluctantly, she followed behind Gilles to the kitchen doorway, this time, a little more cautious than she had the two nights before. Once in the doorway, she could feel her hair stand up on the back of her neck, and as quickly as it did, it vanished like the feeling hadn't been there all along. A frown touched her lips. "So, Cereal huh? Not exactly living in the lap of luxury are you Gilles?" The frown was heard in her voice.

He hummed a smile. "Nor you, it seems," Gilles said plainly his eyes rolled onto her as if he was wondering the purpose of her chastising. Then he shrugged it off. "No matter, as long as we are on Chaldeans clock, we servants enjoy finding something to eat." He pulled a box from the cupboard and shook it listening to what was left in there. A sharp frown touched his lips, as he reached his hand into the box, and pulled out a small familiar the size of his palm.

Alter had frozen halfway through to the table, as she felt a dark aura encompass the room.

"I warned you not once, but twice to stay out of here." Gilles's voices grew darker. "I told you what would happen if I found you in there again."

It started squealing and squelching.

"No no no, that just won't do." He closed his fingers and crushed it like paste in the palm of his hand, blood spattering against the cardboard box he was still holding in his other hand. He turned towards Alter and smiled his pointed toothy grin, only a single bloodstain to touch the corner of his chin. "I'm afraid, there will only be enough for one. But seeing as you're my guest, the remains will obviously go to you."

She smiled, almost smugly at the sight to partially perhaps hide her disgust at the thought of eating something with whatever slime that creature had left in there. But the smile was there now for something else entirely. "No no, it's all yours. I'll eat when I leave later." The sight of Gilles killing something gave her an idea.

Perhaps the real reason I'm here.

He understands you.

Alter glanced around again as if afraid someone was going to listen in on what she wanted to say. She certainly knew her master was going to disapprove, but he wasn't here. And she found herself, despite the slight pang that touched her heart, she found that she didn't much care what his opinion might be. "Are you bored cooped up here Gilles?"

Gilles hadn't bothered to wipe the blood away from his face or hand as he left a bloodied stain on the cereal box as he poured a few flakes into a bowl for himself. His eyes narrowed a little. "What an odd question?" He turned to face her, "Bored isn't the right word-" Gilles hummed as he rubbed his chin. "No no, not bored, I'm in...routine here." He set the now bloodied cereal box down. "I have heard, however, that you are quite busy. But you are already two days behind in even starting the doujin for the contest."

Only for just this loop.

Alter's eyes narrowed too as if focusing on that reflexive thought.

If I even need to go back. But...perhaps I won't need to?

She walked over to the table sitting in the middle of the room, leaning on both hands over it. "With your help, I won't need to try and win the contest." Alter's sadistic grin widened. "With you, I can simply remove elements of the competition."

He loves to cause chaos.

Gilles frowned a little as he'd fallen silent, even as he reached for milk. "Really?" He turned to look over his shoulder at her, a slight frown on his lips at the thought. "What sort of elements would we be working to remove?"

Alter could feel the inspiration within her like she was about to burst. Like a fresh story idea on the cusp of becoming reality, full of passion and drive. She curled her fingers into a fist. "We start with Medb." Her grin grew only just a few inches wider. "With her removed, the contest will be a fore-drawn conclusion." She paused no longer leaning over the table. "That will allow us to focus on something else." She tiled to her head as if searching for the next potential victim of this incursion. "That stupid foreigner that keeps crashing her spaceship out in the street. Maybe even BB."

The room was silent for a long moment as Gilles poured the milk into the cereal. He turned around to face her, eyes rolling onto her. "Such chaos does sound a little fun." He rubbed his chin with a hum. "But, my dear Jeanne, what makes you think I don't find Medb's actions cooool, to begin with?"

She frowned a little. "What-" She shook her head a little. "What do you mean?"

Gilles smiled as if it were obvious. "Medb has already caused more problems for everyone, more than I could ever dream." He gestured to his grimoire sitting on the counter. "I could summon my hideous creature and cause quite a bit of grief and ruckus. But against so many servants? Even with its healing factor, it wouldn't last long. Not against that holy virgin you bear the striking resemblance towards.." His mouth seemed to form a frown. "Our master would also never allow it to slide."

"Screw him," She bit out. "Our master is-"

He held up a hand.

She stopped and felt her throat tighten.

"Medb has already caused so many more problems than I could ever dream of causing." Gilles frowned now. "Because our master can't do anything about her, she's too ingrained in this fascinating replication of Hawaii. And she isn't causing the sort of chaos I would cause, she isn't going around and killing people." Gilles behind his sharp teeth grinned. "Her very existence is too much of a problem for our master to solve."

Alter's lip twitched.

"And apparently, too much for you to solve either," Gilles stated.

"I'll kill her with or without your help!" Alter girt her teeth, her eyes narrowed towards him, as she could feel her anger threatening to bubble over. "Because the problem can be solved if I simply remove her from the face of this fucking island."

How could he?

He doesn't understand.

Even after everything I've done?

Alter grit her teeth, trying so desperately to not lash out. She curled her fingers again, uncertain of how to respond. Of all the people on the island, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew Gilles would understand her rage. More, that he might enable her, and help her with her carefully forming devious plot.

But he'd said no. Gilles seemed to watch her from the corner of his eyes as he set the bowl of cereal down at the table. He pulled up a chair, dragging it one-handed against the wood floor, and sat to face her, and the doorway. He didn't blink as he took his first bite.

He said "no"!

She shuddered. Did even Gilles, Blue beard, the terror of France, not understand her? Why was he choosing the pink-haired bitch queen over her? There was only one reason she could think of, so she turned away in a bitter huff. "Fuck you." She said heading for the bags she'd slept on near the couch. "If no one else will solve this damn problem I will." Jeanne Alter leaned down by her bags, her amber eyes went back to Gilles in anger. "I clearly thought of you wrong. You were supposed to help."

Gilles had followed her bowl of cereal in hand, his mouth forming a frown. "I clearly have no reason to help you."

Alter could feel the bile in her throat again. "Shut up before I decide to burn you out before I take my leave."

He hummed. "You can't stay here anymore anyways." His mouth formed a frown. "But I will not allow you to burn this place down either. It serves my needs quite well." Gilles lifted a hand slowly for her to see, and then snapped his fingers.

She'd frowned at his movement then her eyes widened, and she reached for her sword. Just as the couch that she'd been sleeping on burst to life, more of those muscly urchins springing into action.

They were smart too or had planned this out so intricate according to Gilles's design.

Alter cursed her luck, just as her fingers wrapped around the sword, only to feel her elbow joint locked in the grasp of the urchin creature. Her amber eyes widened as she tried to twist her arm free.

Before she could try to use her other arm to free herself, another had jumped onto that one, clambering her back down.

She'd forgotten how much she'd hated the urchin creatures up close. The way they always seemed to wet as if fresh from the sea. Or slimy as if fresh from the goo of sewers. But she long learned that whatever they excreted, affected servants. She just didn't know how nor did she ever plan to find out.

As she twisted up with an effort. "Guh!", but they wrapped her legs up too and locked her joints. She fell to her knees. Then all at once, she stopped. Knowing Gilles had proved his point. But she still seethed looking through the hair that had fallen over her eyes as the doorway.

Gilles just smiled at her, and walked forward slowly, he didn't reach out to touch her as he reached her. Instead, he kneeled down to be more level with her. "As I said, I have a great many plans for you." His jovial tone left with his smile suddenly. "Which is why you are not staying another night."

The caster stood back up and brushed off his blue robe. "If you stay, you will be supremely cared for. But you will play your role to me."

No one cares about you.

Shut up.

Alter felt ridges of the urchin brush against her cheek as she tried to lean up and away from its touch. "Bastard," She cursed between breaths. Against her wrists, and her ankles she could feel the ridges pressing against her skin, like sharp indents. And as she struggled she could feel some of her skin tear.

Anti-servant in large numbers.

Worse yet, he'd only reinforced her perception of how she must look to him. Even if the memories were not her own, this man had once been just that. A man. And now bathed in his blue robe, the sunken chameleon eyes, the smell of blood, were all the long indicators of what he'd become.

This man who was responsible for her original manifestation. Her first arrival into the world, to reap much-needed storm to prune France well and truly of all those that had wronged her. To burn them all in the most visceral fire that she could picture in her mind, and put all of them to death for what she'd felt had been done to her.

Only he had stopped her, with that shielder servant. The Chaldeans against all odds fought tooth and nail against her every step of the way. Throwing themselves to save even people who would die in the mock recreation of history that together, both she, and Gilles had created together.

She wasn't supposed to burn France anymore, now she was supposed to save the world.

A scowl formed. "BASTARD!" She shouted, "It's all your fault that I'm even here!" She tried to lurch forward, muscles twisting in the grip of the urchin, but still, she was held firmly in place. Alter huffed a little and looked away as if trying to hide the defeated feeling creeping up her spine, and about to reach her expression. The tears around her wrists and ankles growing deeper cuts forming in a few places. Bruises in the rest.

Gilles seemed unphased, though his smile had faded as if he were curious about what she would do or say next. Like he was observing one of his kitchen creations, and not the times he cooked himself dinner, the lab part of his kitchen.

She struggled against her restraints, pulling from side to side. "The least you could've done is tell me what you wanted me to do!" Her amber eyes burned with fire, as she stretched her fingers against the muscley tendrils that encircled it. Right now they were still bent at the knuckles on her fingers.

Just a little further.

"Any of you could've!" Her eyes narrowed further. "But you, you brought me here. Corralled and manipulated events to help end the world just so I could exist!"

Only you are hollow.

She bit down on her lip to ask a similar question. "Why?" The demand slipped from her lips as her amber eyes focused on him. "Why am I here?!"

Gilles studied her in silence, he rubbed his chin quietly, and even muttered a few quiet words audibly to himself, but unrecognizable to Jeanne. Then tilting his head from side to side as if it were a simple examination of one of his ongoing experiments he finally backed up a few steps from her nearer to the kitchen doorway. "You exist simply because I wanted you to exist." His expression sharpened. "Moreover, at the time I needed you. And I needed someone to share god's real love upon this world."

He hummed, again as if considering other options that were present before the two of them. Gilles rubbed his chin sounding thoughtful. "I of course could do unspeakable things to you, things I would take great pleasure in, as I did with many others over the course of my legends of half-truths." He smiled wide towards her, sharp-pointed and near carnivorous teeth were exposed as he did.

Enough to send a shiver up her back, even with the comfortably close proximity of the familiars pulsating in place, holding her to the ground. Alter shifted the other way, when one of the rigid barnacle-covered tentacles got just a bit too close to her lips.

"But no," He folded his hands into the sleeves of his robes. "You will leave, as I have already told you." Gilles tilted his head again. "Whatever debt or care, you thought I owed you for willing your vengeful spirit into existence has now been paid for in full." His smile faded. "And now you will leave." He turned back towards the kitchen.

Alter finally had managed to stretch out her fingers, pushing against the barnacle-covered, fleshy familiar, and with a pulse, resummoned the sword to her hand.

Blue and red lightning shot, about and through the familiar, as the sword twisted itself, instantly into its grip, cutting through inches of flesh with the adjustment on the sword.

Gilles went rigid and sharply turned around, the wind blowing past him.

The living room was now splattered in the blood of all the familiars that had held her down.

Wind blasted past him, with Alter standing directly in front of him, sword pressed against his neck. Unlike the room, she looked untouched except for one tentacle part that was still moving on her shoulder.

With her other hand she flicked it off, her expression dark.

All around them, familiars and urchins gathered, in doorways, around furniture, windows, as if the whole house was about to burst into some great frenzy to try and kill her.

Alter's eyes only glanced at the nearest one, and then she firmly returned her glare to Gilles, and the throat she had pressed against her sword. And for a long moment, neither of them dared to move. If Gilles moved, he would most certainly have died. If Alter had moved, Gilles would've drowned her with sheer numbers.

Stalemate.

But despite that, she pressed her mouth into a line, as if she wanted to snarl, only she didn't, she just stared at him for that moment. "You really never cared, did you? Even back when you worshipped my very existence, I was nothing more than a tool to elevate your purpose…"

"Servants are tools and instruments to their masters are they not?" Gilles didn't move and he hummed. "Was I not used just the same by you? In death as in life, ever in the service to either the holy maiden or the unholy one?" His eyes rolled off the sword to her. "As to if I cared." his eyes darkened a little. "Not enough to give you the answer you seek." His eyes seemed to sharpen as they narrowed further. "Never enough to help you more than the minimum I've done for you. Your flailing about in your existence has brought nothing but tears of joy to me." He laughed a little. "Even as you spread god's real joy unknowingly still, with every little life lost to your swords."

Alter held her sword to his throat a few moments longer. "You're still fucking bastard Gilles." She lowered it slightly away from the neck, though she was more than ready to deal with familiars if he took the opportunity to attack her. As she stared at him still just on the other side of the doorway's threshold into the kitchen. Her wrists and ankles still burning, along with a trail of smaller purple bruises gliding up her legs, and arms to her knees and elbows respectively.

He smiled and bowed his head to her. "I will wear your words as if they were badges of honor my unholy virgin."

Creepy fucking bastard.

His smile faded just as quickly as Alter could sometimes flip through her emotions thanks to the madness berserker enhancement. "Now once more, get out." He stepped further back into the kitchen, eyes unblinkingly on her. Then he smiled a little watching her. "But as always, you're free to stay?"

"No thanks," she muttered under her breath, plucking up her two duffles. "Keep your little monsters out of my way, or they get squashed." Her amber eyes flicked back and forth between them as they made spaces for her to pass through. Despite the bluster, slowly and cautiously, she stepped out the front door, aiming her sword at any who got too close.

Gilles closed his eyes, as the front door to his house closed. "Maybe next time." He then quietly turned around to his kitchen.

#

Jeanne Alter walked out the front door the same way she'd come in, over rottenstone and wood that marked the path. As she rounded the old fountains, the familiars staying well clear of her this time, she spotted the face of someone standing about twenty meters away from the front gate, at the edge of the barrier protecting the house.

The last person on this fucking island I ever want to see.

Jeanne D'Arc, the holy maiden of Chaldea, the ruler now that now took up a position as an archer class servant, looked just as displeased at seeing Alter, as Alter had when she'd spotted her. She tightened the grip on her bag straps and marched towards her. Eyes narrowing, not even bothering to care that she'd passed through Gilles's magical barrier.

Alter hesitated, but walked past the threshold of the broken rotted gate all the same. She squeezed her eyes shut with a sigh, "Look if master sent you, can you please tell him to just-" She came to an abrupt halt as the rest of her sentence dying in her throat.

Jeanne D'Arc had snatched her just beneath the wrist, avoiding the cuts she could see very clearly there and had abruptly spun them around marching away from the old building. "What were you thinking?!" She demanded, dragging Alter along behind her. Her blue eyes whipped around to glare at her as she dragged her away. "Of all the stupid things you could've done-"

Suddenly Alter had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Something worse that had already happened?

Alter finally put the brakes on dragging her feet, and holding onto the holy maidens wrist just as tightly as she was holding onto her. "Wait, hang on!" With an effort, she managed to tug her hand free. "Wait did something happen to Master!?"

Jeanne had turned around back around to look at Alter, her lips still forming a frown. "You mean after you dislocated his shoulder?" Her eyes narrowed. "No." She reached out and grabbed just beneath Alter's wrist again.

I dislocated his shoulder?

It could've been worse.

The berserker hid her reaction as best as she could at the news. "Stupid." She silently mouthed to herself.

Of course, I wouldn't know, I didn't stick around long enough to even make sure he was okay.

She'd done the one thing only days ago in the last loop she said she wouldn't do.

Alter had run.

Jeanne D'Arc's long braid and her white and blue sweater were near the perfect inverse of Alter's black and red jacket. She'd also managed to drag Alter all the way out to the road before the dragon witch managed to ask another simple question. Though if her master being in danger wasn't the problem she could breathe out a small sigh of relief.

However, she was only dragged behind Jeanne faster as if she wanted to get as far away from that house as possible. "Then what?-"

"I'm referring to the fact that you went to Gilles of all people." Her blue eyes seemed to scrutinize her. Now that they were near the sidewalk, on the way back to the city she spun around to face her properly. "Of all the people who would've helped you, even Master, you went back to him." She pointed towards the direction they came from. "He could've hurt you more, or worse, used you against our Masters!"

I needed to know if there was any point to my existence.

You needed to know you mattered.

Alter's lips curled.

Which you don't, not to anyone.

Alter huffed out a breath. "He is a creepy bastard, but I needed a place to stay." She knew it wasn't much of an argument. Especially now considering how her morning had been going so far. She tried to rip her arm free again, this time so she could just walk off towards the city. Intent on leaving both that wretched house and this holy maiden behind.

"Gilles told me to come and get you," Jeanne said, eyes narrowing.

That gave her pause, her mouth curling into a deepening frown. She turned her head to meet Jeanne's eyes, amber eyes going wide with sudden realization.

The wretched fucker, of course, he did. He knows I hate you with every ounce of my being.

Jeanne stepped closer. "He said it was the last favor he will ever do for me." She straightened up again. Grabbing Alter's arm, and turning it over so she could see the underside of the wrist, and the bruises trailing up to her elbow. She spoke a little more quietly this time. "I'm going to make sure that I didn't waste it." Her grip loosened only long enough to grab one of Alter's bags.

So who better to send, to look after a useless servant.

Alter once more felt herself getting dragged behind Jeanne, her mouth twisting into a frown. Uncertain whether she should be thankful that Gilles knew himself well enough to get even the holy maiden to come for her, or if he just wanted to make sure that she was going to feel miserable no matter the outcome.

Knowing Gilles? It's probably both.

Alter huffed. "Why the fuck is Gilles even here? This sort of summer vacation thing never really seemed like his sort of affair."

Jeanne's pouting had subsided a little now that she'd gotten some of what she'd wanted to say out. "His familiars prevent an overpopulation of the giant attack crabs." She turned her blue eyes back to her. "Actually it was Gudako's idea. Ritsuka agreed, saying that even that version of Gilles needed some way to redeem himself." She smiled a little. "In a way, he's helping everyone to have a more peaceful summer."

She shook her head a little. "He must really hate it…"

Her self-proclaimed older sister once more turned around to face her. "Did he seem to hate it?"

Alter would have remained silent but switched gears instantly to a more pressing matter. One that didn't seem to bother Jeanne at all, "Sure, let's pretend I'm grateful for the rescue. Where are you taking me now?"

Jeanne smiled at her as if it were obvious. "You're going to be staying with me and Lily of course!" Then her smile seemed to brighten. "Gilles mentioned you needed a place to stay, and the two of us would love to have you!"

Her first emotion was utter repulsion, the idea of sharing a room with her two sisters-

Goddamn it.

She grit her teeth as she caught herself on that lingering thought. Realizing that the holy maiden really was winning on that front.

We aren't sisters.

Alter scowled at the circumstances, when she'd made a deal with herself to stay at Gilles, that she would take the time to think of a plan B, and where she would go next. Because really...she hadn't planned on staying long with him anyways.

But saying she agreed with the holy maiden's assessment about Gilles was tantamount to admitting she was right. Furthermore, in doing that, it would be an admission of something else as she came to the slow realization.

That no one else was likely to room with her.

When did this all get so screwed up?

It's your fault and it's your master's fault.

Alter huffed a little shaking her head. "Are you sure master didn't send you to come and get me?" Her frown deepened, "Because it really feels like you were sent after me." She turned her eyes to the holy maiden. "I don't want to see him."

She nodded, "I know that." Once again Jeanne turned on her heeled sandals and faced Alter, bowing a little to look up and into her eyes. "No, Master did not send me. He did however give out some orders to a trusted few just to look out for you." She closed an eye and winked at her. "But nothing else so specific. Which...is why I'm not going to tell him you're with us." She tilted her head. "That is of course unless you want me to."

"Great, so I'm going to be stalked by Emiya, Arturia, and whatever else fits his inner circle." Alter huffed a little once against trying to avoid admitting that once more, the holy maiden had read her correctly.

Because I don't want to see him.

She pictured him with that stupid grin on his face, and it was almost enough to make her angry again. Only she found it didn't anger her felt like she'd expected. A pang touched her heart, and her eyes narrowed. She reached up and touched a gloved hand over her chest. Alter forced herself to stop halfway through the motion.

Jeanne D'Arc watched her a moment longer, then shook her head. "No, no one has been directly sent to look for you. Just to keep an eye out for you." Suddenly she looked a little uncertain, her smile fading. "When I got the call from Gilles, I...actually thought he was trying to taunt me, and I came to scout alone expecting to see the worst."

Alter wrinkled her nose a little. "Like what?"

The holy maiden tilted her head. "Like he'd turned you evil again." She looked at her as if it were obvious. "You two tend to bring the worst out of one another."

"Ha! As If would ever be caught working with that bastard ever again." A smug grin found its way onto Alter's lips, despite the feeling of her stomach tightening.

At least now I won't be.

Because it had been too close. It had been her who was pushing Gilles to help her. It had been her idea to go around and, for lack of details, remove people from the competition to make it easier to win.

So that this shitty endless summer could come to end.

Yet Gilles had rather cruelly refused her, making her feel even more useless in the process. As she realized that the one person who might've been willing to help her, thought that Medb's cruelty was more enlightened than her proposed idea. Her idea of trying to remove Medb from the competition and from being the general bother for at least the rest of this stupid loop. Maybe enough for her master to win the contest...

She sighed and touched the base of her palm to her forehead.

"Good." Jeanne simply. This time she didn't reach out to drag Alter by the arm. This time she only offered her hand. "You can stay with us for as long as you feel necessary. Or you can stay with us until you're sick of us?" She smiled, "But as long as you're okay, that's what really matters in the end."

Alter stared at it like it was something foreign and unknown. Her arm muscle twitches as she fought the urge to take her hand. Instead, she huffed her voice miserable with defeat. "Just-" She waved her hand off. "Lead on…" She looked at the ground not wanting to meet her eyes, so instead, she decided to focus on something sweeter, the anger she felt.

I'll get you back for this Gilles.

A part of her knew she probably wouldn't. If Jeanne was right, Gilles was actually working to keep this summer vacation from getting even more hectic with the crabs. Actually removing him, or deterring him from his task might've proven to be problematic. Because then the crabs might be in large enough groups to form armies.

Just another nail in that coffin.

But she could think of things she might do once she escaped back out of this looped island summer vacation.

#

The walk had been held in graceful silence, while Alter felt bitterness, anger, it mostly manifested in a permanent scowl. And the occasional flick of her sword at a crab that got a little too close to her liking.

"They're attracted to negative energy, you know?" Jeanne said tilting her head to the side as she looked back at her.

Alter huffed. "Good, well-timed punching bags then." Then she pressed her lips into a line, as she once more wiped the side of the sword against her thigh, the bloodstain obvious against her near-white skin. Then with a swift motion, she re-sheathed the sword. Her amber eyes flicked ahead to the holy maiden.

Jeanne's smile twitched, but it still remained in place. "Surely you can think of something fun right?"

She didn't reply, instead moving to adjust the straps on the bag she was carrying over her shoulder. Her frown deepened a little. "Let's just go, how much farther?" She asked, glancing around with her amber eyes. They were passing between buildings now. Taking careful note of where the main hotel was at, where she knew her master to be staying.

Jeanne seemed to notice, "Don't worry, Marie and I are staying on the other side of the building." She smiled a little as Alter suddenly turned towards her. "The room's big enough to fit Lily for when she can't hang out at the nursery anymore." She turned away to lead on once again. "We're pretty far from all the suits, the two of us decided it was better to size down so we're spending less Gilbucks." She waved Alter's worries away. "This way we have a lot more spare money to go out and take regular breaks too."

Alter wisely chose to remain silent, simply glaring at the holy maiden's back. Eventually despite her anger, she just sighed.

It's better than nothing, but I have to be careful to avoid his comings and goings.

Jeanne's voice then tore Alter from her thoughts. "You never answered my question?" Now she was looking at Alter suspiciously. "Can you think of something fun in order to help stave off the crabs? I'd rather not have to deal with them every few minutes."

"Not relevant right now." Waving the problem off. "Besides, we are heading into the city. The damned things aren't ever in there with large numbers." Alter met the holy maiden's eyes for a moment trying to get her to move off the subject. "I want to just unpack my things for the next couple of days."

She frowned a little, clearly not buying Alter's usual evasion tactics for a subject change. Jeanne D' Arc closed the gap again, grabbing Alter once just beneath her wrist. A sudden idea had gripped her. "Do you have your purple dress?"

Alter frowned. "Yes, but that's not-"

Jeanne stepped in closer. "We're going out tonight, and you will want to dress up a little. There's a nice restaurant I think you'll like. After that, I have another idea, but we might save it for tomorrow." She tugged Alter along behind her again.

She blinked. "I-Hang on! I haven't agreed to this?"

She's got to be kidding right?

"We're leaving at five tonight. So for now you can just hang out, and play video games with our younger sister when she gets back from the nursery." Jeanne smiled at her, ignoring her comment outright, and started dragging her up the steps.

What could she possibly know about fun?

Alter thought back to how Chaldea had organized itself, Jeanne often foisted herself as somewhat of a leader to all the servants. It had never been her idea to shoot pumpkin using trebuchets nor had it been her idea to hold parties in the cafeteria as they finished difficult missions. She huffed a little, resisting the urge to count the steps.

But Jeanne was able to help coral other servants to follow her lead. When the masters of Chaldea distributed their orders for a fight, it was often Jeanne who led the charge, playing the role of bait, or simply to tank the damage of whatever monstrous demonic nightmare the end of the world would throw at them that time. And it was Jeanne who'd actually helped to pick on activities that other servants voted on doing for fun.

The brains of it all typically fell to Ireland's very own Hercules, Cú Chulainn who helped to propose ideas. The trebuchet one had been his brainchild.

Maybe, when she fails at trying to figure out something fun, I can make fun of her for it?

The thought brought a grin to her lips. But almost like clockwork, she could only imagine her master's disappointed face.

Of course, she would find something fun. Once those little fun ideas were decided, she was often right back in the leading role.

She sighed and tossed her duffle onto the bed.

Jeanne followed suit tossing her other duffle beside it as well. "I'm going to go get you a room card, and I'm going to go get Marie. I sort of left her hanging because I got the message from Gilles...I should probably apologize to her too."

Yeah, you do that.

She gestured to the rest of the room. "Make yourself at home here." Jeanne straightened and bounced a little in place. "Oh, it's going to be so much fun having you here."

Alter nodded, putting her attention on her bag to start digging out a journal. And she let out a breath of relief after hearing the door closed. "At last some fucking peace and quiet." Now she could collect her thoughts on all that had happened in the hectic morning. How everything around her seemed to go wrong one way or another.

Maybe that's why nothing goes right between us?

You are at the center of causing problems.

Or I'm at the epicenter of the problems with him.

And I thought it was simply because no one likes you.

Jeanne Alter frowned and promptly smacked her forehead. "Goddamn it, will you shut up!" She huffed as she turned towards the mirror, her fingers curled into a fist.

The reflection of her seemed to smile darkly, and smugly. The amber of her eyes was bloodshot with a haze. "Do you really think that it will be such a simple thing to solve?" She laughed darkly and gestured herself in the mirror hand on her hip. "I mean look at you, can't even keep yourself sane enough to fix even the simplest of problems."

Alter turned away from the mirror. "You're just a figment of my imagination with a very loud mouth." She rubbed her temples. "Fuck, is this what I have to look forward to in my times alone now?"

"Of course I'm a figment of your imagination!" In the corner of her eye, she seemed to stand up. "Though I suppose technically I'm more than likely a product of your madness enhancement as a berserker."

"Tch. Now that's me talking." She touched a hand to her forehead, feeling that strangeness once again as she for a brief second channeled her mana. "I know I would logically try to explain my way out of this situation. I would try to logically explain you away, but even that doesn't seem to keep you away."

She hunched over suddenly. "Fufufufufu! Of course, it's what you would do. I am you-" Her grin turned evil, almost bordering on the sadistic. "And you are me."

This of course was the last thing she'd imagined to deal with when having to finally get some downtime, and some peace and quiet. Her expression hardened as she concentrated. When she blinked, whatever it was had vanished away from the mirror. So she was now simply looking at her own reflection.

It's not ideal dealing with you know?

Fuck. Off.

Alter flipped open her journal as she pulled it free of the duffle, skipping past the notes from the previous loop, and the improv she'd done with Ritsuka. Opening to a blank page. She raised her hand and clicked the pen just beneath her bottom lip. And touched the tip of her pen to the blank page motionless.

She hunched over a little with a sigh, pulling the journal further into her lap, and curled her legs onto the bed.

Just...anything.

She just needed to do this one thing, so she wouldn't feel bad about it anymore.

Or would I?

The only story she really plotted without her master had been their first attempt at this doujin thing. It had been a really lackluster story, one with barely coherent characters, chalked full with all the mistakes that the first story from a writer often had. Because while she wanted to participate in the Servfest, having a vacation with Master had been her first priority.

Alter could feel the blush touching her cheeks at the memories of the first loop. About how upon learning that Jeanne D'Arc proper was champion of last year's ServFest, and how in this year's contest, she was poised to take it all again. Then she'd essentially hijacked Ritsuka into all this. "Stupid," she muttered.

So much has changed from that delusional time.

You were a wasted servant before, you just needed to fail repeatedly in front of him for you to realize it.

The rest of the servants followed Ritsuka.

Her expression soured once more at her own stupidity and naivety.

Ritsuka was always quick to tell her how much he didn't mind. That he was right where he wanted to be, by her side, putting in the work to help her win.

Alter shook her head free of the lingering thoughts. "Focus." It wouldn't be long before Marie and Jeanne bring Marie back before what little quiet time she would have would be ruined. She blinked a couple of times to focus once more on the blank page of her little notebook.

You're still a monster, only you're a powder keg with a ticking clock.

She licked her lips as a small idea burrowed in the back of her skull. The image of her master looking at her differently after what had happened. Alter firmed herself and gave a nod. "Fine," She huffed out her breath expression firming as she lifted her eyes to the mirror. "Fine, I'm a monster." Her lips twisted sourly. "Let's plot a story about what makes a monster then."

It had worked for fifteen minutes before she hit a wall. Nothing had come out that was even remotely satisfying for her. She stared at the next blank page in order. She bit her lip tapping the pen a couple of times against her cheek. "Come on you stupid french knock-off, you're a monster, what made you?"

Hatred? Most definitely. Fire? Most certainly.

The two words were scribbled onto the new page as she began anew once again. She paused halfway through writing the third word, as her eyes sharpened like steel. "Writing from the heart is a joke." The last loop's end and this loop's start being just a little too close at hand. Her nostrils flared, anger and disappointment in her eyes. The bitter memory rising.

Working from the heart? What a joke...

Alter shifted pushing her duffle harshly away and threw the journal across the room, cracking against the wall and snapped a little. "Fuck you!" She pointed a finger at her reflection. "Have you ever considered that I might not be the problem and that you're the fucking problem?" She tilted her head as if waiting for the mirror to respond. "What?! No snide remarks?! No insults to throw?"

"It would've been just a fucking simple vacation if not for you! And that stupid excuse of a reason to get Master out of Chaldea." Alter stepped closer to the mirror. "You and your little fucking stupid ideas have landed me here, in a position where it's impossible to win!" Amber eyes narrowed slightly as she waited.

A cold silence had fallen on the room again, and eventually, she looked away from the mirror. Hands balled into fists, stiff at her side. "Really?" She breathed a half-laugh, a half whimper. Alter stepped back until she fell against the bed landing with a quiet thump and looked up at the ceiling. Studying the cracks and ridges just as much she'd studied the tiles of the floor with each reset of the loop.

Amber eyes inspected her arms and wrists. Her mana, as she knew it would, had healed the bruises that trailed up her arms. The cuts and bruises around her wrist were deeper and required a great deal more in the way of her passive healing ability to offer.

She turned over onto her side and slowly curled herself into a ball, tucking her knees close to her chest, and hugged herself. "If all it took for you to shut up was for me to hate myself a little more...I would've been more obvious about it a long time ago…"

She buried her eyes against her bicep on the bed and squeezed herself tightly around her wrists just enough so it started to hurt. Then she squeezed them a little more, just enough that fresh bruises would form over what was there.

#

The reason they were late coming back was that it was the third day of the loop. Alter remembered Ristuka mentioning that Jeanne and Marie went on a lunch date together around this time every week.

Just as well…

The longer they were out the more time she'd have to herself. Alter knew she'd fallen asleep again, but she was thankful she hadn't been out for two days. It had only been an hour she must've guessed. After fixing her slight bed head, she went back to her notebook, where it had still been lying on the floor.

Instead of plotting story ideas though, she went back to sketching. She started with the basics again. Recalling all of Osakabehime's instructions and notes. It had taken her three loops to memorize the artist's teachings.

But now that I know I can get personal objects through the loop…

She marked down all the directions, and some slight minimal sketches to help with each detail note that she'd tried to absorb in those first few loops. Alter realized something else too, as she reached the end of another hour, flexing her fingers as she stretched upwards, pressing her lips together.

I can practice.

With that, Alter decided to sketch. The doujins and manga that they were making were clearly getting better. But she was getting good enough at it now, to go back and try to redraw some of their previously made characters better. She started with their first simply duel manga that they'd made in their first loop, the one that was only half-finished.

The door to the room clicked open, and Alter immediately threw the book closed, looking up.

Marie smiled at her, dragging Jeanne just behind her. "Oh, wonderful!" She practically clung to Jeanne. "I think it's absolutely wonderful that you're giving your little sister a place to stay!" The queen of France hopped forward with a smile.

Alter grit her teeth. "It's temporary," She said firmly.

Jeanne D'Arc smiled. "Of course silly, once Servfest is over we all have to go home."

Amber eyes narrowed. "That's not what I-!..." She sighed and deflated a little as she reminded herself that they wouldn't remember or know that this loop is resetting."Nevermind."

What was it? Six or seven loops in?

Getting used to the pointlessness of talking to people or explaining things even though they would never remember was still troublesome. She ran her fingers through her white hair noting that marks on her wrists had faded a bit. Only the bruises remained. All at once, she threw her white hair out behind her so it was out of her way when she slid her duffle closer opening the zipper.

Marie sat at the edge of Alter's bed, staring at her. "We're going to Iron Chef's speakeasy tonight."

Before Alter could decline the invitation, she felt her hand tugged away from the bag just as she finished putting the sketches away. Her fingers were tucked between Marie's hands.

"Jeanne and I would love it if you would come?" She smiled, almost a little too bright for Alter's taste. "It's going to be fun, singing, dancing? Food and drinks?" Her smile seemed to brighten even more. "Moreover, I heard you got into some trouble?"

Alter's hand tensed in Marie's grasp. Enough so, that the queen of France had noticed, and a look of concern crossed her face.

Damn it.

"Who told you?" There was an accusation somewhere in her voice. Her eyes flicked to the holy maiden on the other side of the room fiddling with her bag, trying to organize whatever was in there.

Marie just looked even more confused. "Well, uh? I overheard Teach at lunch today, said you guys were covered in blood and things like that when you first arrived a couple of days ago." She tilted her head a little closer as if trying to look Alter in the eye. "What happened, are you all doing okay?"

"Oh…" Her anger evaporated just a little, as it turned out to not be either one of the two people she really wanted an excuse to be angry at. "Black Beard?" Alter's eyes narrowed a little and then recalled how that first time they'd met in the reset, that he'd commented on their appearance. "I guess it was pretty bad…" She said slowly, looking away from Marie.

Still, it sounds like he is talking too much for his own damn good.

Marie followed her, shifting a little across the bed, and ducking her head down further so that she could look her in the eyes again. Her grin somehow managed to grow even brighter. "See, you should come." She clapped her hands together as a new bout of excitement seemed to touch her as she recalled something. "Jeanne told me you're planning on debuting this year at Servfest with a manga or a doujin of your own!"

Alter's mouth almost twitched into a frown.

Maybe not this loop…

"We'll see," She said with a shrug.

Marie intertwined their fingers. "Even we are supposed to be rivals in the Servfest contest, we should still find the time to wind down and have some fun while we are here?"

This damn woman has a fucking charm spell on her near as potent as Medb.

Alter also did her best to try and ignore the fact that she remembered saying something very similar before the second loop had reset. Where both she and Ritsuka had wanted to spend the waning hours walking through the island's sunset. But instead, they'd all just hung out in the hotel room, and got teleported to the airport, and the second loop had started. "I…" She looked over at the holy maiden. "I don't know…"

Jeanne placed her hands on her hip. "Come one, even Lily is going to be coming." She walked over, taking on her more serious 'Oneesan face' as Gudako and Ritsuka liked to call it. "Besides you couldn't think of something fun you did."

She cursed under her breath. "I didn't say I didn't do anything fun...I just… didn't want to think about it at the time." Alter worked to zip up her bag with her free hand.

Also because most of those fun times would only serve to make me angrier right now.

Too many of them involved Ritsuka.

His stupid dumb idiotic smile.

Alter fell silent, wondering just when the last time she'd had fun here was without him. Her lips curled slightly as she thought until she finally landed on one memory. It had been in the first loop where she'd been by herself. Her master and the others had gone to the beach and had their first real run-in with Medb.

She'd been alone brainstorming and…

A small blush had formed.

Working and daydreaming.

Unaware of her recollection, the french queen once more entered Alter's personal space, bringing her crashing back to reality rather than getting stuck in that same stupid daydream. Her fluster only grew worse as she realized she was still blushing slightly.

Marie's hair bounced as she nodded rapidly. "Please?"

Fuck.

Alter blinked rapidly, as she backed up a few inches. She gave an awkward wide-eyed grin towards Jeanne. Ritsuka once commented that it really conveyed her berserker insanity. Though she was starting to doubt that it would buy her any more time than her silence had bought.

Marie had closed her eyes keeping just a firm grip on her fingers.

Damn it all to burn in fucking hell.

"F-fine." She looked away from them in a huff. Food and dancing didn't sound so bad. Probably she would avoid dancing at all costs. She folded her arms with a pout pulling free of Marie Antinoette's grasp. "I'm not going to watch over Lily by myself though if the two of you end up dancing or anything!"

Jeanne laughed. "Oh, my sweet little sister, you have nothing to worry about." She threw a hand over to Marie. "Maire loves to dot over her anyways."

Alter blinked, her mind quickly shifting to something else. She could almost feel her madness enhancement pulse as she switched gears. Her embarrassment and flush were gone almost instantly. "Wait don't you guys plan on working on your doujin at all?" Her amber eyes fell to Marie.

The queen of France shrugged. "It's mostly done, with only a few edits and touch-ups needed. Jeanne and I've been working for the past month on it on and off." She clapped her hands as she stood up suddenly. "Samson's going to come by tomorrow night to help us with our final story edits." Her twin tails bounced with her as she bounded across the room. "Want a sneak peek?"

"N-no." Alter said, shaking her head.

Hell no.

Marie looked at Jeanne as if she wanted her input.

Thankfully, to Alter's relief, the holy maiden simply nodded her agreement with Alter. "I am really proud that my baby sister has developed some artistic integrity." She smiled, with no hint of sarcasm or ill-meaning in her voice.

"Tch." Alter huffed a little turning over in her bed.

Marie smiled brightly again. "I still think it's wonderful that all of you sisters care about each other enough to offer each other places to stay in time of need!" She clapped her hands together as if she was excited that the room would be full tonight.

She probably is.

"Ugh." Alter shook her head a little.

And I don't think I would.

She grit her teeth.

Master would probably make me.

Jeanne hummed. "It's going to be a little crowded in here isn't it?" The holy maiden put a hand on her hip as she surveyed the room. She paused over the two queen size beds that had been pulled into one larger one. She looked at Alter. "Marie can be clingy, would you mind sharing with lily?"

Alter frowned with some distaste.

But it is better than the alternative…

She nodded, "As long as she doesn't wake me up in the middle of the night, It'll work out just fine." Alter groaned a little once she saw the clock. "I'm gonna go stretch out my legs, maybe beat up on that foreigner that keeps crashing."

Jeanne frowned. "Oh, BB I think and I already took care of that yesterday." She turned around with a few things in hand, an extra blanket, and a remote for the tv. "The foreigner crashed in the middle of the street and they got into a big fight after they killed Hokusai." She walked over and jumped onto the bed.

A frown touched Alter's lips a little at that.

The foreigner trying to kill other foreigners fought BB?

It must've been two loops ago now when she had asked both her, her master, and the rest of their little club to step in to help her. She made a noise to herself. "Tch, BB must've gotten squashed then." She stood up to stretch her arms again.

Marie shook her head. "No, actually it was a pretty even fight for the most part." she grinned a little bit wider. "Actually, she might've even been winning towards the end of the fight. Which is good, because she's working very hard trying to put the rest of Servfest together." She plopped onto the bed again near Jeanne.

Alter stopped mid-stretch to look at her, trying to keep the surprise hidden in her face. She looked away. "Interesting is she getting stronger with each passing loop I wonder?"

Jeanne's nose wrinkled with confusion. "Each passing loop? What do you mean by that?"

"Nevermind." Alter waved it off. "Just ignore that, I'm...just thinking out loud." She rubbed her chin a little. "Hey, uh? Do you by any chance know where BB's usual hang out is?" She paused to look out the window towards the beach, the view drastically different from the one she'd grown used to almost eight floors above.

Marie chuckled. "You're the second person to have asked me that today."

Alter froze for a moment and tried once more not to react to visibility. She'd done a much better job at it this time than the previous one. She might've even smiled to herself a little bit, realizing she might've found a thread to pull. "Who was the first?"

"Edmond Dantès," Marie said, her tone taking on a curious one.

Alter reached down and strapped the swords to her waist. "What did you tell him?"

The queen of France shrugged. "Not much really, but we ended up discussing other problems. Like the oversized crabs or the big chickens that have been attacking servants at the beach as of late." Marie looked over at Jeanne. "I have a vague idea of where the chicken nest is. And he wanted to know about it. Sweet man wanted to keep me company when Jeanne went off to get you this morning."

She nodded a couple of times, her white hair bobbing slowly with the movements, a few pieces falling into place with her.

I never would've imagined he would be doing his own investigation.

Then another thought touched her.

He often disappears without a trace, maybe when he accidentally takes a misstep in his investigations?

She nodded a couple of times to herself. "Where did you send him?"

Marie blinked. "I sent him to the edge of the commercial district, where everything turns into shops and booths like a farmers market? I remember hearing people talk about the big chickens there." She frowned a little. "He's probably gotten what he needs by now."

Good enough. I can start with the shoppers asking both after him and the Chickens. See if I can't eventually come across both.

Alter started walking towards the door only to find she was blocked by Jeanne. The berserker curled her fingers into tight fists.

The holy maiden shook her head once and pushed her lips together with a pout. "As your sister, I know I can't stop you when you put your mind to something." She half-smiled a little at Alter's expression. "I won't stop you from investigating." Then she grew serious, her blue eyes burning into her. "But I want you to be back here before we leave tonight. You need to have some fun, and this investigation is not an excuse for you to miss it."

"Sheesh." Alter looked off to the side. "I forgot how unreasonable you can be." Then she grew serious, returning Jeanne's stare. "I promise I will be back on time for whatever you two pass off as fun."

Jeanne smiled at her and then stepped to the side. "Good luck!" Then she frowned. "Remember not to get too dirty, otherwise we'll need to give you a shower. Before we put you in that purple dress."

"Ugh," Alter groaned as she clicked it open the door. "You make it sound like I'm a baby." She half slammed the door behind her, and walked off towards the staircase, meaning to use one of the back exits so she could avoid all her master's usual hangouts.

#

Jeanne Alter had a hand on her hip as she surveyed the farmer's market in the center of the street. The open shops and the crowds of blanks that had filled up the population of this Hawaii replication. There were servants in the crowd too, as Alter spotted Motzart playing one of the pianos out in the street. It smelled of foods, spices, and people as everyone shopped, and perused between the tents.

She paused in front of the butcher shop, mouth furrowing as she saw the decorative feathers that marked the heads and tails of the oversized chickens that they'd encountered frequently while they were here at the island. Her mouth twisted a little further.

It couldn't be that easy, could it?

She walked through the doors and glanced around. She could see the butcher talking to Boudica, the part-time Chef servant at the counter. More importantly, she spotted an oversized cage just behind the butcher, one of them with just such a large chicken still inside of it. It struck its beak wildly against the cage, threatening with growls that if it got out, it knew exactly how it would go about trying to kill them.

Jeanne Alter took some steps to get in line just as Boudica made her purchase. Boudica hefted her sword with a smile and walked past the counter as the butcher stepped open up the door panel. He waved through the thick black curtains, which, when parted, Alter was able to spot at least a hundred more cages filled with chickens, crabs, and Gilles's urchins of all sizes.

The butcher seemed to catch her smile. "Quite an impressive collection aren't they? Perfect timing for that con in a few days. The amount of food I've seen people eat the last few days." He huffed a laugh. "Little short blonde spirt with hair stickin up by itself, got five last night and went off to one of the restaurants in town." He gave a belly laugh. "Saw her eat the day before that too, looked like she was tryin to put the place outta business."

That could've been any saber face really. But I'm willing to place bets on Arturia considering Emiya is smart enough to have her bring most of her own food so she won't drain his stores.

Alter blinked a couple of times. "Those big chickens are getting more common than I thought. Just a couple of days ago, I heard they attacked some of the local shops."

He looked surprised. "Really? I hadn't heard anything about that?"

She tensed.

Damn, that was in an earlier loop, wasn't it? Might've been about day five?

Alter waved it off to loosen the tension. "Since they're getting more common, I think you just need to keep your ear to the ground. Something like that is...bound to happen again." She stared once more at the chicken in the cage just behind the butcher and the counter.

The chicken was very still now, eyes directly on her.

"I'll uh…I'll get right to the point butcher. Have you seen a man, skin as pale as mine, tall with glasses and a black hat?"

"Ha, it'd be hard to forget 'em miss...uh?"

"Jeanne or Alter will be sufficient," She said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "He would've come by asking where you've been getting these creatures right?"

"That he did miss Alter." He straightened up a little, "I told him that some of us 'ave been hunting for them in the morning. Near the foot of Mount Kea. I do suggest not to go alone like that bloody fool. Even I don't go myself, and even I've done my fair share of hunting animals in the wilderness."

She shook his head a couple of times. "I'm his...partner. My job was to make sure that neither of us goes alone." She chuckled. "Though, as you can see, that plan has gone completely awry." Alter finally smiled a little at him, realizing she enjoyed playing a little detective on the side of their constant battle to win first place at Servfest.

Maybe this is what we're missing?

He laughed. "You best get goin then miss, the man's already got a bit of a head start on ya. If ya hurry, ya should be able to get him before he gets too far into his hike! Or his hunt for fresh food."

Alter nodded and showed herself out, looking in the direction of Mount Kea. "I better make it fast", she tapped her head a couple of times. Where were all the riders that she knew of at this day and time of the loop?

Medusa might be the best option since Kintoki is busy. And I doubt Iskander and Achillies could be persuaded to part with chariots. And Astolfo is just...off.

Medusa it was then.

#

Riding on Bellerophon was exhilarating, to say the least. Medea's frightened mumbles of discomfort were less so. The way she seemed to clutch tighter with every slight change in angle and direction. As the caster class servant had wrapped her arms so tightly around Alter's torso, she thought she might be cracking her hips.

A quick glance ahead at Medusa, showed the subtle smile on her lips, a sign that she was well used to Medea being so frightened of the ride.

Then, at last, a short five minutes after takeoff, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. Alter wasn't exactly sure where she would find Edmond, but suddenly, it was like he appeared. Or he allowed them to sense his presence. Medusa's fingers tensed on the reigns of the pegasus as she began to angle them downwards.

Alter could see him, billowing black coat out behind him, hands not in his sleeves. His back to them as he continued to stare down what looked like a cave entrance.

Bellerophon touched down, the pegasus throwing their wings out to their full span to bring them to a full stop. The wind rushing forward, blowing Medea's head cap off. Her face flushed red as it landed some ten feet behind them.

Alter smiled and hopped off. "Thanks for the ride, mind if I ask you two to stick around for a bit longer?"

Medusa quietly looked back at Medea who hopped off too, striding over to her cap. Then she looked back at Alter, the mask over her mystic eyes, speaking in her deep monotone voice. "Not for long," she leaned down a little from the pegasus and continued. "She wanted to take me out somewhere today since Gudako occupied our first day.

Alter frowned slightly. "Really? What for?"

She shrugged as she straightened. "Medea has a knack for some magical things, and I think our master is suspicious of this place." Her frown deepened a little. "It was odd though, I thought she would've been trying to relax with Edmond, rather than trying to investigate nothing." Medusa looked pointedly at the pale black-dressed figure about fifty feet away.

Could Medea not tell something was wrong about this island?

Alter waved it off. "You know how our Masters are, always working themselves to the bone. So are the people they tend to like." She looked off towards Medea. "Don't know how long I'll be. I expect less than fifteen minutes. I'm probably just going to be asking questions...but just in case... prepare yourselves for a fight…"

Medusa raised an eyebrow at her but nodded.

When two avengers, people like me and Edmond are involved, a fight is inevitable.

She turned and after pushing some prana into her legs, leaped high into the air, scanning their surroundings, to see if there was anything else of interest out there. It felt almost desert-like, with dead trees and dirt. Alter landed just a few feet behind Edmond, a hand on the grip of her sword amber eyes still flicking from side to side.

He didn't react to her presence at all, just staring into the cave. He was silent still as her footfalls crushed the dirt behind him.

A frown touched Alter's lips, as she took her last steps to stand beside him looking up at the hardened expression on his face. "Heard you were out looking for a nest of chickens." She raised a brow. "Thought I'd come to see if I can offer you some help."

His mouth pressed into a line as if he were biting back a barb. He was silent for almost a full half-minute before he finally turned towards her. "I'm not looking, I know where they are. I'm just working on a plan." Edmond blinked a couple of times as he turned to face her. His skin scarred across his hips. "Shouldn't you be busy working on manga?"

Alter frowned, growing a little tense. "Probably. I'm...taking the day off. It's also called a Doujin." She followed his eyes to the cave's entrance. The grip she had on her sword tighten a little, as she stared at it. If by some chance, this wasn't the hideout, there was still something awful about the place. Her eyes narrowed a little. "Is...that a barrier up?"

Edmond smiled a little. "FWhahaha! Still not over the beating you got from Medb's cronies?" His eyes seemed to grow in their intensity. "I think my master was a little too kind on you. Just as I think yours is always too kind to you." He waved whatever was going to be said next away. "Yes, I think it's a barrier. The moment we try to cross it, they'll come for us."

Her lips twisted, a barb rising to her throat, and then she paused. Then her eyes widened as she jolted with realization. "How do you know about the last loop?" Then her eyes narrowed as she spun around to get in front of him. She stared up into his eyes. "Oh-oh my god, you know about the last loop!"

He tensed a little under her gaze, at last taking his eyes away from the cave to look down at her. His mouth pressed into a line, as he grit his teeth together.

Alter, didn't really care for his silence, she grabbed him by the collar even though she barely came up to his neck in height. She almost tugged him down so he was facing her. "It's been, what? Seven loops of repeating the same weeks and you never thought to stop by and talk to the masters!?"

His frown deepened, "Nine." He corrected gravely. Then he started shaking his head. "I'm not having this conversation with you out in the open." Edmond turned to look back at Medusa and Medea. "Are they going to help us?"

Jeanne Alter's lip twisted. "You've been lying to Gudako." Her eyes narrowed in anger. "You were lying to Ritsuka. You played the part…" Her lips twisted. "How many times did you repeat the same things to them?!" She took half a step towards him, ready to hit him. "Wait they both know you die, but since you remember the last loop, you didn't die?"

"Oh for god's sake." Edmond smacked his forehead. "I die in every loop that I'm not with Gudako." He spun to face Alter, suddenly just as furious as she was, his fingers latching onto the wrist of her hand that was clutching his collar. "I have an innate resistance towards this fucking facade of an island. And whatever's running this show knows it."

The ground beneath them shook.

And both their heads whipped towards the cave. A startled silence started to settle between them as Edmond straightened up a little. There was no sign of movement coming from the cave. But now there were noises.

Edmond huffed out a breath. "Want any more? You'll have to wait until we're done." He rolled his shoulders as if he were stretching. "When was the last time you got into a real fight without your master's support?"

Alter frowned a little drawing her sword, her other hand ready to draw a second. "Some time ago, just a little after Camelot." She shook her head a bit. "I used to do it on the regular in Chaldea's simulator just to keep my skills sharp…"

Edmond nodded, light-catching the edges of the abnormal chicken feathers in the cave. "Good, because this isn't going to be an easy fight. I've died here once before already." His eyes narrowed and then waved behind them to the other two present servants. "I'll take their leader, they should already be acquainted with me."

Alter nodded. "I'll clear the way."

And with a roar from the cave, the herd charged forth.

Alter would've likened it to a cavalry charge as they built up speed coming directly towards the beaks, upfront. In her peripheral vision, she was aware of Medea taking flight, and her staff forming in her hands. Medusa as well summoning her chain weapons.

It's normally the master who calls out strategies.

Her brow furrowed as she wracked her brain. They were sitting ducks out in the open where they were. She also knew that they were greatly outnumbered, and she'd seen what happened to servants if a large enough amount of these creatures attacked in lone groups. Her eyes flicked from side to side, eyeing the hillsides to both. There were destroyed and dead trees on both sides, boulders, and rocks. Obstacles that would stem the charge. "Attrition?" She suggested.

Edmond saw her nod towards the hills to either side of the cave. He looked back at the other two with a wave of his hand, he pointed to the left hill. "Attrition." He agreed. "It was my plan before you all showed up anyway.

Medusa jumped and Medea floated in the direction.

As Medea flew, those symbols underneath her long cloak, and around her staff grew alight in the air and fired blasts into the mass of chickens.

None however broke off to give chase to them yet.

Alter glanced at Edmond.

He huffed. "Go, it's my scent they're after."

The berserker needed no further prompting channeling prana into her legs, as she stepped forward, the ground cracking beneath her feet as she pushed off the ground jumping towards the indicated hill.

Crazy bastard.

Alter glanced back as she started arching down, her white hair flowing up behind her as she fell. The idea of dying to chickens didn't sound like a particularly pleasant one. And she wondered about all she knew so far about the problem at hand

It must be more difficult than it looks if he can get killed by them.

Edmond mouthed a countdown quietly to himself, looking as if he was trying to time something better. He may have well-tried this very same tactic before. An attrition fight through things that could break up the stampede.

But he was alone before.

Edmond bent down and shifted, not a high jump or flight like the others had done, but side shift, the ground cracking as pushed off, just as the head chickens were going to reach him, their red crowns waving, and blue feathers on their wings starting to beat as they tried to accelerate faster like a horse reaching full speed.

They followed perfectly as if the change in direction was simple, not even bothering to slow down to make the turn.

Edmond smiles letting his hatred fuel the attacks he would've laughed but he was trying to keep an awareness of the surroundings near him. He glanced back at the others.

Medea still floated, in the air.

But Medusa and Alter had formed up beside one another, weapons brandished.

Edmond dodged to the right as some of Medea's blasts struck the front runners to the crowd. Then he jumped to put some extra distance between them,

Alter grit her teeth.

They can kill us.

She formed a red and black ball in front of her outstretched hands, like a black flame. Her amber eyes glowed with effort as she felt the attack finish its build-up, and then she let it loose against the oncoming crowd.

The blast obliterated the one it had directly struck. The collateral was that the four others nearest to it had ripped feathers, wings, and guts as they collapsed dead.

Edmond, with another prana burst, finally reached the three of them, spinning around to fight, his black coat once more flowing in the wind behind as he twisted himself around. Smashing the first to reach him once again, with a flick of one of his rage-filled attacks.

The next he kicked thirty meters to his left. From has spewed the energy of attacks as if he were almost a caster. But as he took up a brawler's stance, it was clear any opponent who'd think of him as someone with ranged attacks was doomed.

The next one in their herd came, charging into him full bore. He didn't even move as he held the charge back with his arms. Then he twisted the chicken in the air above him, blue flames licking the ground around him, as he suddenly slammed it back into the ground on his right to block the next attack coming on that side. The next one he grabbed and threw towards Alter.

She was ready, and simply held out her sword to catch the one sent her way. With a huff she moved to the next, taking a lunging step forward, cracking the ground beneath her feet. A side swing, sliced the chicken in half, at the wing. Then pushed off the ground to avoid a direct charge.

Medusa slammed the point of her needle-like weapons into the throat of one and used her monstrous gorgon strength to kick another almost fifty meters away. And then the wind cracked around her as she sped off again. Her riding skills allowed her to speed through the air.

To the normal eye, it was as if she'd appeared at the other end of the herd, chains flaying up straight behind her as spun around and attacked the closest one.

But the terrain had done its job, the unified charge had been broken up. Which meant the chickens were more easily dealt with.

The lingering problem now was to still avoid being overwhelmed. Because even if their unity was broken, they still split off into smaller groups, and rarely moved in for an attack alone. Three charged at Atler.

They were strong enough to kill Edmond.

The reminder came in her mind just as she saw one of them bend their legs and leap into the air towards Medea.

The caster was quick to react dodging out of the way, more sigils forming around her staff, to blast the airborne monstrosity into oblivion. "This is not what I was expecting to be doing today!" The wind caught her black and purple cloak as she dove towards a different position, getting a few more shots off.

"Indeed." Medusa added in her monotone voice. She sped through to the other side of the herd again, her legs planting against a chicken's neck, killing it instantly, and sending it flying away into the hills. "I hadn't noticed things were getting this bad without population control." She turned around, pointed spike ends at the ready for the next one. Already arching her legs for another strike.

"AGH!" Edmond slammed his fist into the ground and blue ethereal blasts erupted from the ground killing a half dozen chickens instantly around him. "They were going to be used to kill me!" He let out a hiss, as he grabbed another by the throat, burning it in his hand. The corpses now preventing easy routes to get to him.

Which wasn't to say Alter appreciated it, mouthing a quick curse as she lost another blast, holding one of her hands by the wrist. Her amber eyes glanced to her right at the Chicken rushing towards her.

Medea's blasts scorched it just before it could properly attack her.

It's an easier fight than Medb's "good-looking braves".

Her lip twisted.

At least for now.

She loosed the blast and surged forward with two swords in hand this time. Using a prana burst towards two of the rabid oversized chickens. Much like with rider, though covering nowhere near the distance, she'd jumped through the chickens, ending up behind them.

Their heads fell off behind her.

They were systematic in their destruction until, only what could be described as the king of Varporeal chickens finally burst from the caves, almost five times the size of any of the other members of its kind that seemed to litter the rolling hillside. Its head craned wildly around landing directly on the sound of all the noise and fighting.

And then it roared.

And Alter collapsed to a knee, eyes widening. "Wha-what?!" She hissed out a curse and used her sword to keep herself upright. Her amber eyes flicked to the side, and as she Edmond stumbled into a dead tree, his hands grabbing his chest, and holding himself upright.

Medea fell from the sky with a cry.

Medusa had the wind blowing past her ears, so the cry of the king Vorperal hadn't been heard, and she moved to catch Medea in both arms, sliding to a stop with the additional weight. She grimaced slightly as she turned her mystic eyes to the nearest Vorporeal, and they skidded to a stop frozen.

Alter huffed just barely managing to raise her sword to block the incoming ram from the nearest attacker to her.

The blow still sent her skidding. Her muscles and arms twitched as she lay more flat on her back sprawled into the dirt. "Shit."

Then the King's cry stopped, and it was like all the weight around her suddenly lifted, and her breaths came easier. Amber eyes were wide as she looked to Edmond again.

He'd nearly fallen over too, but with the king's cry over he flipped up back to his feet and killed yet another Vorperal.

Jeanne Alter swung her legs up, and over her head, using the momentum to carry the motion to her hands, and flipped herself upright until her feet were right back on the ground. Just in time to sweep aside the next attack coming directly for her. "What the hell was that?!"

Medea coughed as Medusa set her gently upright. Then she floated a few feet up in the air again. "It's got servant affecting magic!" With a gust of wind, she flew up into the sky again and fired a clearing blast for Medusa to break through the next wave of attackers.

"I hadn't noticed," Edmond said, cursing between breaths. "It felt similar to Waver's sickening noble phantasm!"

Debuff pains. Great.

Alter firmly planted her feet, deciding to cut through the next attacking monster entirely as it reached her. The two halves of it falling to either side of her. "Then we can't wait. We need to hit it now before it can do it again."

Her eyes scanned the fight around her. Medusa was covering Medea until the caster could get high enough to start covering their flanks again. Amber eyes quickly shifted to Edmond his black cape flowing behind with every motion as he slammed his flamed-covered fists together, crushing a Varporeal's head.

What would Ritsuka do?

She caught beak around her sword, and with a surge of prana slammed a free hand solidly like a punch into the Varporeal's neck.

I have the objective...two avengers, a skilled caster, and a rider.

She hissed as she caught another blow from an entirely different Varporeal. "Come on." She whispered to herself as she threw the attacker off. "Start with yourself." Alter blinked as if she had a sudden realization.

Her fingers were still shaking, and that weird feeling was still there, the one that had been present in the previous loop. When she'd stumbled after chasing Shakespeare. Or even the night before that after she'd put Ritsuka to sleep in her bed. After their long night of existing in each other's space-

Stop it!

Her eyes narrowed again.

"Until we know what's causing it, I don't want you to exert yourself needlessly. Even for scaring the daylights out of Shakespeare."

Ritsuka's words echoed through the forefront of her mind. She nodded to herself only once. "Okay, that rules me out." She mouthed a curse as she dodged to the side.

I can't risk doing anything more than this sort of combat, my noble phantasm is off-limits.

Her eyes scanned the other servants again.

Medusa would risk death flying two close to the ground on Bellerophon. She might survive, but I doubt Medea would ever forgive me.

Alter planted her feet and leaped up into the air, channeling another black flaming blast at the front of her fingers. She clutched her wrist and grit her teeth.

Okay, Medea has a powerful single-target np in her dagger. But under the strain of the fight, she also can't focus on debuffing more than one person.

Alter fired, and slammed onto her shoes, eyes falling toward Edmond.

Which leaves…

"Medusa form up on me, Edmond!" She shouted as she dug her swords into one of the Vorpeals that was speedrunning towards Edmond. Its claw also snagged her arm, and blood dripped from the blow slowly.

The other Avenger turned towards her.

"Get your noble phantasm ready!"

His brow seemed to furrow in confusion and then it vanished instantly. He jumped away, towards her. Knowing he would need protection.

All the monsters that had engaged him directly followed instantly behind on the ground, only seconds slower behind him. He twisted himself, shooting blue fire blasts at the ground behind him.

Jeanne Alter moved to intercept the crowd following him. Knowing the ones that had directly engaged her were following directly behind her too. She knew full well it was against her better judgment entirely, as she dashed straight towards the front line of the one's following behind Edmond.

We have to keep them contained long enough for Edmond.

She hissed as another scratched her arm, but with a single wide sweep, and rippling cracks white circles forming around her sword in the air, she managed to slice ten of them, in one fell swoop, littering the area around her with their black blood. The blood spilled around her with a splash, as she crouched down finding her next target.

Even as she did, another sped around charging swiftly through the still falling bodies, their mouths open.

Alter's eyes widened as she realized just how close it was trying to bite her face. She shifted again meaning to push away from it.

Only once again, white circles pierced the air around her, almost blowing the blood away, as Medusa slammed the heels of her feet at full speed into the Vorporieal's neck, with a satisfying crack to fill the air, as their head and neck fell awkwardly limp.

And beside her Medusa landed, her mask off, her mystic eyes working to freeze the crowd that laid to her front.

They both rose to stand tall, chains, and swords brandished.

And the herd moved to surround them.

With swift movements of her arms, Media raised the chain-like weapons into the air, interweaving them through the crowd like obstacles.

Alter glanced over her shoulder. "Watch her back, it's all on her."

Medusa hummed. "She's smart, and she figured out exactly what you wanted to do, once you called me to your side." With a twist of her leg, she dug the spike of her chain into the ground spinning on it like a drill to push into the earth. Her purple hair dancing behind her as she started freezing others with her mystic eyes.

And just as the first wave of Vorporeals leaped towards them, the chain started catching over half of them by the feathers of their heads, necks, and wings.

Alter raised her sword to her eyes two-handed, almost mimicking Kojiro Sasuki's stance, as she glanced over the sharp edge of her sword with amber eyes. Narrowing and calculating.

The inertia of the chains tugged them chickens into place, and Alter once more laid waste to another ten in a single swift strike.

Keeping her momentum, she planted her knee into the closest paralyzed one and planted their face into the ground.

One caught Medusa on the shoulder, but the rider remained expressionless.

With an adjustment of her other chain, she drove the point of the weapon right between the chicken's eyes and left it there as if it was a placeholder.

And as she wrapped the outstretched chain catching Vorpereals, over her arm, and grabbed it with both hands.

She took a lunging step, pouring in all her strength and pulling the chain behind her.

And all the limbs and feathers that were caught in it with it. Blood burst as those fathers, wings, necks, and legs was ripped free with the pull.

One got around and into the air diving towards Medusa.

My turn to return the favor.

Alter jumped up to meet the diving chicken with her sword. But with her hand, she bent its head up and then dragged her sword clean through it. They both fell away several steps onto the ground beside the gorgon.

She jumped back to her feet, her sword brandished on her right, her eyes an outstretched hand to her left, as she backed up two steps to stand behind Medusa.

The rider retrieved her second chain weapon from the head and flicked them both out around them, like whirling whips. With all the expertise of a master of the weapon, she kicked the fast-moving chain links on her right to alter its direction, slamming into another airborne attacker, knocking them off to the side.

Alter's eyes tracked the skies only for a second as the herd still moved to swarm them.

Come on. Where is she?

She smirked only slightly as blood dripped from her shoulder. Her amber eyes found who she was looking for. Flying fast and low doing exactly what she was supposed to.

Medea's head covering cowl flew off again, the hood falling back to join the rest of her robe. With gritted teeth, she leveled her casting staff ahead of her, taking aim. The blue symbols of magic formed in the bat-winged shape of her robes. Firing off in five distinct magic blasts that would've put an unsuspecting servant on the back foot.

Those five blasts slammed right into the King Vorporeal.

Medusa put two fingers on either side of her mouth and whistled loudly enough for her pegasus to hear.

The King Vorporeal seemed to have blood dripping from his beak, its eyes covered in a frenzied battle haze. As it brushed off the attacking magic blasts as if they were nothing more than the water splashes from the beach. Its eyes seemed to narrow, as it took off with equally blinding speed towards its attacker.

It took Medea by surprise, and she swerved, arcing at high speed back towards the other two in the middle of the fight.

Even as she aimed to get away, the king twisted itself in the air enough to adjust his flight and snagged her leg.

Instead of flying directly to them at high speed, she instead crashed into the ground as the King dragged her back into the dirt by her ankle.

Just before impact, Medea vanished, into a hundred butterflies and particles of light, once more appearing airborne, and heading directly towards Medusa and Alter. But blood dripped from her leg.

The king Vorporeal dove after her again, barely stunned by her quick disappearance and reappearance. Only this time as it jumped high into the air.

Bellaphrone, slammed its hooved into the Vorporeal king's side, sending them crashing off course into the ground, and with enough force to push her far to fly back around, meaning to return back.

Between both Medea and Bellaphrone, it had been enough.

The air around the king's mouth blurred like heat from a fire, as whatever cursed magic flowed through it, as it deeply inhaled.

Timing is crucial.

Medusa jumped up to catch Medea, wrapping her arms firmly around her entire body, as spun them around so they landed on the ground as she intended.

Alter, gave one last large prana whirling attack, just as they crashed.

And the king's cry filled the air.

She grabbed her temple as soon as it started. This time had felt even more agonizing than the last. Alter thought she'd have just a few seconds to adjust. And just like before it was like a pounding headache assaulted Alter's head, a body drained nearly of all its energy. She'd spun to take a step towards Medusa and Medea.

But found she could no longer walk, instead, she collapsed onto her front knee, and dropped her sword to hold herself upright.

Just as the first Vorporeal bit her, she managed to catch a glance at them. Then the second dug deeper like a stab wound in her shoulder. Pain suddenly coursed through her, as she felt a third, and a fourth. Her fingers couldn't even find the strength to grip the dirt so she could crush something. Alter started to taste blood in her mouth.

Another failed idea.

Medusa was on top of Medea to shield the caster, her teeth gritted as Vorperals took bites from her back, but she still held herself firmly in place, through each wince. And Alter's cries of agony.

Medea's arm was outstretched just enough to hold the spell.

Her blessing spell she'd learned from Circe.

With the blessing spell coursing through him, Edmond had only shivered at the feeling of death gripping the edge of his soul. His smile was wide and confident as the world around the entire area seemed to go dark, and his fists started to glow blue.

His laughter echoed through the hills just as his voice. "I don't need any mercy!" The fire started to erupt around him, as he leaned forward, amber eyes narrowing directly onto the king and the crowd around the others. "My path goes beyond love and hate!"

At last, the world seemed to be swallowed up in dark, with only a single light, that erupted. "Enfer Château d'If!"

And almost in an instant the pain Alter was feeling had stopped. Just enough for her to look up and see the blue lights that had town across the sky in dozens of swerving directions. The dying chickens. Some headless, others burning alive.

Alter was then ripped from reality, as Medusa's bloodied arm had wrapped around her wrist. Needing no further prompting she jumped to her feet, and Medusa carried them both through the winds coursing around them.

Because neither she nor Medea was riders, it hurt like hell. And then suddenly, they were wrapped onto Bellaphrone racing for the edge of the attacking herd.

Edmond's laughter still raged around them, and she couldn't place exactly where he might've been at any given moment.

But at last, the final explosion occurred behind them, as they skittered away free of the crowd of Vorporeals.

Medea threw her cloak out as if it were a big parachute to slow their impact. Allowing them all precious moments to aid their recovery from the tumble.

At least that had been the idea.

Medusa still flung forward tumbling into the dirt, bloodied arms, and legs, rolling with her as she rolled.

Alter winced as she half tumbled, only just barely managing to land upright on her feet skidding at the end of the movement. She huffed and wiped away the blood at her chin, eyes wide as she huffed out a few breaths.

Medea recovered the easiest.

And at last, the darkness caused by Edmonds's noble phantasm faded, and his laughter quieted.

It's over.

#

It took less than five minutes to get the butchers and carvers out into the hills to collect the spoils of the harvest. It took another fifteen minutes for Alter and Medusa to hunt down stragglers, of chickens who'd scattered after the final attack. It took another five for Edmond to finish his conversation with the contact that had pointed Alter in the direction of coming to the mountain.

And it took Jeanne Alter five minutes of glaring and threatening to finally convince the other Avenger class servant to talk.

She hated that he was taller than her right now. It was hard to be overtly threatening when she barely reached the height of his shoulders. Alter leaned forward, amber eyes narrowing. "If you'd know that the location of the King Vorporeal, why did you keep visiting the butcher? Why not just come up here, to begin with?"

Medusa was holding an arm out for Medea to heal, her monotone voice a sharp contrast to the conversation the two of them were having. "More importantly, why wouldn't you bother to ask any other servants to help you."

Edmond glared right back at Alter. After a few irritatingly long seconds of staying quiet, he turned to the caster and the rider. "Because you don't fully understand the situation. I don't mean that as an offense, but a simple fact." He slowly turned his glare back down to Alter, his nostrils flared. "And it was important to build up a pattern of routine no matter what decisions I make. Because unlike the other two, I can remember."

Alter's eyes flicked to Medusa and Medea, a deepening frown formed. She slowly forced herself to speak. "Would the two of you mind giving us some space?"

Medea got her lips twisting. "After everything, I was just dragged too-"

Medusa wrapped an arm around her to hold her. "No, let them talk. We are already late enough for that show you wanted to catch as it is." She leaned forward making sure that she could see Medea's expression.

The caster frowned a little and lowered her hand. "Fine." She rubbed her head and waved Alter and Edmond off. She turned away, cloak still billowing out behind her.

Medusa lingered. "Make it fast you two…" The monotone of her voice broke for only a second. "Please." She said, and then she turned away, her purple hair swaying, still stained with blood from the wounds she sustained only moments ago.

Jeanne Alter's expression changed only a little, as she sighed, her tense stance relaxing a little. She managed a single nod in acceptance. She watched the two figures retreat several paces, and waited until they were out of earshot completely. Her amber eyes flicked to Edmond, her jaw tightened with her expression. "I have half a mind to drag you out in front of our master for what you did to her." Her lip twitched. "What you are doing to her."

Edmond still glared at her. "There is… a point."

Her expression didn't change. "And it had better be a good one considering what we just did for you. Facing monsters on your own, nearly being killed, lying right to your master's face." She started to grow red.

His lip twitched. "Sound too familiar?"

There was a beat of silence, as Alter had to take a deep breath.

She held up a finger, but it was clear that she was barely holding herself back "It's my master you have to worry about for what you're doing to his sister." Her eyes narrowed. "And I'm the only one that he would trust with this sort of story in the end."

Edmond huffed. "Don't you mean 'trusted'?"

Alter grit her teeth.

What an infuriating man. What a stupid, stubborn, infuriating man. We already owe our masters so much. Why do we want to deepen that debt?

"You're still dodging the point!"

There was a harsh sigh from Edmond as he removed his hat, and rubbed his forehead free of sweat. He flicked it off his hand once he'd finished. "As I said before I have an innate resistance to this time loop bullshit that we've been swallowed up in." His eyes narrowed a little as he threw his mind back to sometime around the first loop. "As you know I practically spent my whole first week here, with Gudako, thinking it was just your typical vacation. I imagine you and your master thought something similar?"

Alter looked away with a blush. "I may have...turned the week into a doujin workshop…"

Edmond raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait, you started that before you knew it was time looped?"

She folded her arms and glared at him. "Still dodging the point Edmond!"

He seemed to shake his head a couple of times. "No wonder we're still stuck, you're all absolute idiots." He paced away a few steps as if in deep thought. "Why did you want to participate in the doujin competition?"

Alter turned from anger to startled. "I- I don't think that's any of your business?!" She huffed and leaned forward. "What does that have to do with you answering the question as to why you're lying to our masters?"

"Quite possibly everything!" He paced back towards her and stood up taller. "Remember, I can keep my memories if I die in here." He closed his eyes and let out a slower breath. "Someone knows it, and has tried to kill me in order to keep me quiet." Edmond half turned away looking at the chicken corpses now being wheeled and driven off. He pressed the palm of his hand on his forehead. "The only guarantee I can think of, while you and your master is cooped up in that little room playing artists, is that you aren't investigating."

At that she tensed, her amber eyes narrowing. "I...someone gave me a copy of a doujin…Well…" She looked away. "It was a work of art really...it…affected me. Like a taunt would. It was a copy of that stupid holy maiden's work." Alter turned to look at Edmond. "But the important detail here is that it was given to me anonymously." Her eyes narrowed a little. "It...sort of just showed up one day…"

Edmond hummed, "So whatever's responsible, knew you enough to bait you into a distracting contest, and knows me enough to keep trying to wipe me off the map."

Alter bit back her rising anger at the jab.

He held up a finger. "Now, I will tell you why I've lied to Gudako. It's the same reason I've gone to the butcher's every time for advice on how to find this place, and try to have the exact same conversation with them."

She looked up at him, anger dissipating.

"It's because whoever they are suspects me. Worse than that, I'm near certain they have an eye on me at all times." His eyes flicked to their surroundings again as he leaned in close to whisper. "The purpose of the lies is to throw off their scent. They've sent people to kill me or silence me. Sent an oni to enslave some of these chickens to her whim, and hunt me in force." His eyes narrowed a little. "That's often why I get killed the fourth night."

Alter's brow furrowed a little. "And you started trying to deprive the oni of her backups so that when she comes to hunt you, she'll be doing it without as much support?" She touched her chin. "Wait, when you came up here, wouldn't that be an indication that you know exactly what happened?"

"Ah," Edmond risked a smile. "An inkling that I have no real clear memory because I'm repeating conversations." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and stood up a bit taller. "Whoever is responsible is arrogant beyond imagination, and they are not focused on just simple me, slowly getting better and better. Inching my way farther through the loop, at least...on my own." He sighed a little.

Once more a quiet settled between them.

"Our masters are going to be furious with you Edmond." Alter said quietly. "If I were you, you might want to start thinking about what you want to say."

"Oh, I know." His mad smile softened to a gentler one. "I'll get an earful, have to promise something romantic. And perhaps an apology directly to yours for all I've done to his only family." Edmond paused to look at her. He brushed some blood away from her forearm. "And possibly apologize for getting you into another mess."

She almost flinched as she looked down at the dripping blood. "It'll heal before I see him again." Her brows narrowed in focus as she tried to channel her prana into healing her wounds a bit more. "Maybe Medea could just finish patching things up."

"I think she's furious with us too." Edmond huffed.

"Fufufu." Alter's light chuckles filled the air. "Ever the avengers making trouble." She flexed her arm and hand testing the wound to see if it impaired her. "Either way, I'll manage." Alter lowered her arm. She'd been given a lot to think about, not the least of which this whole time loop mess seemed to be growing more complicated as each loop pass.

Is master just as frustrated?

Alter's amber eyes flicked back over to the massive chickens being harvested for their meet to be fashioned into meals. "We should coordinate our search with a regular meeting." She turned to face him again. "If it is BB, then she is already well aware that the masters, Robin Ushiwakamaru, Mash, and I already can remember every time loop." She folded her arms. "We can play it off as us having us simply start with the direction of this loop...and I can find an excuse to repeat a few things if you still feel like you need to shake off a tail." She frowned in thought. "This could work…"

Edmond sighed. "There is...inherent danger in doing that. If we overplay our hand too soon, they might catch the wind, and shift tactics. Worse, they might accelerate their plans." He nodded a few times. "I take your meaning though...I…" He paused, compressing his lips briefly. "It would be nice to have some backup in this time loop for a change."

She looked at him. "You could've found a way for our master's to help. They would understand…"

He doesn't understand you.

Shut up.

He shook his head. "It was safer this way, I...don't know what happens when a master dies here. I'm…" Edmond seemed to frim as he stood taller. "I'm not willing to risk it. Not ever. If they die, in any scenario, we lose." With a final nod and flick of his cloak. "Take care of our masters for me Alter." He tipped his hat a little. "And we shall meet at the convention for lunch. If not…" He frowned a little, some words going unspoken. "You'll have to make an excuse for us to talk away from our masters."

She folded her arms. "Won't be hard, as I'm...not really on speaking terms with them at the moment." Alter hummed. "We'll see."

#

By the time Alter had returned to the holy maiden's room, Lily was there. She was pouting with her arms folded as Marie seemed to be doing her hair. Though despite the demeanor, she was also blushing as she was given twin tails to match Marie's.

That queen is persistent with the likes of us, isn't she?

Jeanne frowned upon seeing Alter. "Oh! What happened to you!" She stood up from where she'd been sitting. "I thought you said you were looking for Edmond Dantes?"

Well, I should've expected this. Should've stopped at one of the beach's showers to wash off the muck of the fight in any case.

She mouthed a silent curse at herself.

That one at least is on me.

"I did find him." Alter said with a huff. She flexed her arm out again, happy to see the prana had done its job. Only the stains of all the bloody cuts and bruises were there. "Can I borrow the shower to get all this off?"

Jeanne's eyes narrowed. "Did you attack him?" She moved to step in front of Alter, her lips pressed into a line and her eyes narrowed.

She hissed. "You're taking this older sister thing too seriously." Alter paused and realized that Jeanne wasn't going to budge as the maiden put her hands on her hips. Then finally, Alter sighed, "Look I went to find him, I found him. Trouble found us soon after."

Jeanne didn't relax, but her expression loosened just enough. "Did you find the information on BB you were looking for?"

Alter's lip twisted a little with a shrug. "Sort of, we talked over a few things and compared notes." Her amber eyes flicked to Jeanne. "It's given us somewhere to start in any case, and I learned a few things about Edmond as well…we moved the rest of our talk to later in the week while we continue."

I can't risk saying more.

The holy maiden looked over her shoulder, at Marie and Lily. Then back to Alter, and finally, she seemed to relax, her expression softening. "Look, if you ever need help from us…don't hesitate to ask."

Alter hissed. "As if I'd ever want help from you." She pushed past, towards her bags grabbing her the nice clothes that Jeanne said she should get ready. "I'll shower to that stupid 'fun' thing you all so desperately want to do."

Jeanne frowned a little at her. "Not in front of Lily."

"Tch, whatever." Alter plucked up one of her duffles.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her.

Alter flipped her off, and then she marched into the shower with a huff, throwing the duffle over her shoulder, and taking care to avoid the lived-in mess the room seemed to accumulate due to the now four people living here.

My bags are all over the floor because there is nowhere to put them.

She ran fingers over her face, as she did, her wrist and finger twitched. She glanced perplexed down at her hand as she pushed open the door to the bathroom.

Too much exertion?

The berserker hissed at herself as the door closed. "Damn," She slammed the side of her arm into the wall, as gently as she could without breaking tiles like she had the bathroom tub before. She bit her lip and walked forward leaning against the wall with a huff.

She managed to at least get to the shower before she slid down the wall. Alter dropped her bag, and pressed the palm of her hand against her forehead as if hoping that it could release the pressure she could feel there.

It couldn't be the berserker enhancement, could it?

Alter had ruled out lack of mana being the source of whatever caused these little dips and drips in her personal episodes. If it were lack of mana, it would've been more readily apparent to her master.

Not that he has any reason to even look my way right now.

A sigh filled the silence of the room as she hugged herself a moment longer. Just enough so she could focus on recovery before she hopped in the shower. Something that seemed to grow more tempting with each passing minute considering all the blood and much she'd gotten from the battle with the Vorporeals.

Maybe a long shower would be better?

#

She must've been there for forty minutes, she concluded. Just for the shower, trying to scrub all the drying blood and mud away. The water was lukewarm just like she preferred it, just enough to help relax her muscles, but not enough to give her problems.

The next twenty was spent getting into that purple dress. She glanced at herself in the mirror as she'd finished checking it over for wrinkles. She adjusted it one more time over her chest, with a frown.

It's missing the flower in my hair.

There was a huff coming from her lips.

That's because he's not here to give me one.

Purple outside and red underneath was a good combination that seemed to go with her. The dress was expectantly just as form-fitting as the last time she'd worn it. A reception at Chaldea when she knew her master was going to be dancing. With a sigh, she finally backed away, grabbed her bags, and stepped out into the hotel room.

The room was filled with the other bustle of the servants. Marie was having little lily Alter something for her. She smiled when the little girl had finished, and knelt down to start re-tying those green and red bows the little girl refused to part within her hair.

What was surprising was, the holy maiden's choice for a black dress, over her something more bright and colorful. Her blue eyes widened upon spotted Alter. "Hey, you looked so much better."

Alter huffed. "Whatever…"

Jeanne tilted her head a little as she reached onto the table to place another one of the assorted flowers into her hair. She looked as if she wanted to say something more, but after a moment she pressed her lips together and turned back to the mirror, tucking in another flower between the folds of her golden hair.

Marie was already fixed up all the way, wearing a red dress fit for a queen, with golden lace sewn in to make a perfect complement to the red color that almost seemed to swallow it. She was bouncing and humming as she finished Lily's hair.

After surveying the room, Alter was content to simply brood until they left. Not having anything in particular to do. She tied the red ribbon around her neck, allowing it to drape down the center of her chest.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long. For when they called it for the time to go. She stood up to follow, her mind almost numb from the past few days. Jeanne grabbed lily's hand and led the way. Marie pouted at Alter until she offered her an arm to hold.

Once they were outside and walking down the road, Marie tilted her head. "You're missing that beautiful purple flower in your hair."

It took a lot more than she would ever admit not to snap at her. Her mouth furrowed with displeasure. "It's not important." She waved it off. "Anyway it got left at Chaldea with the rest of my avenger spirit origin," She glanced down at her free hand flexing it open and closed. "Maybe I should've stuck with my avenger spirit origin, it would be easier to control myself."

Marie shook her head, "Think I like you this way more."

Alter frowned at that.

Why? Because I make a fool of myself more often?

"Tch." She huffed.

I probably make that holy maiden look even better.

Maire spun around to get in front of her a little, making Alter stop, and stare down at her. Then with a look of genuine sincerity, she touched Alter just above her left breast.

Alter turned red, with a large frown forming. "HEY!-" She bit her lip.

The queen of France held up the finger of her other hand. "Your heart is more open this way Alter." She tilted her head, her crown falling a little to the side as it did. "You're more impulsive the way you are now, it's true. Yes, it's caused problems, but I think that's because you fight it every step of the way."

I...what? No, I don't...that's…

Maire seemed to grow serious again, her bright smile fading a little. "Well, no that isn't quite right. It would be more accurate to say you're fighting your natural impulsiveness in your berserker form incorrectly." She glanced away eyes on the holy maiden who'd paused to heft alter lily onto her shoulders so she the little girl could pick branches. Then her eyes came sweeping back to her.

Alter huffed, "That's insane, I'm a berserker, that pretty much by definition means my impulsiveness is to the point of insanity, for as long as I'm stuck here-"

"Which is only until the end of the week." Marie interrupted, eyes narrowing. "So your impulsiveness won't weigh on anyone that long anyway."

The berserker balled her fingers together into tight fists, she pressed her lips together feeling even more pressure because of the things Edmond had said.

Someone might be watching.

Marie still had the hand over her heart, and with the other, she grabbed Alter's fist. "You're fighting the wrong end of it even now." So Alter couldn't see anything else but her face. "You let your impulsiveness run free whenever there is something or someone you want to fight." She smiled as she leaned away. "But when it comes to the people you want to talk to the most or spend time with the most, you don't say a single thing?"

Alter glanced away a little. "The last time I tried being open with someone they got hurt."

She leaned away, her red dress moving a bit with the sea breeze. "Alter, we all know what you're like, Master too of all people. We both know he is not going to hold it against you." She tilted her head a little and moved to stand beside her again so they could keep walking. "He's probably only just worried."

There was a moment of quiet as Alter bit her lip.

Fighting the wrong end of my impulsiveness?

She blinked, and Alter's eyes narrowed. "I didn't say anything about hurting Master."

Marie shook her head, grabbing her army to tug her along. "You didn't have to, dear." She walked them a few steps before turning her eyes together. "You also probably only hurt him, because you are holding all of it in." She tilted her head again. "What if instead, you reversed it, and instead of being impulsive about fighting, you were impulsive towards us."

"And held all the urge to fight in?" Alter glanced to the side. "I'm not so sure you would even let me stay around if I did that." She shook her head at the thought. "No, I most definitely think you'll regret asking me even that."

I'm mean, cruel, and vindictive.

"As I said, Alter." Marie smiled. "We all know what you're like. Do you really think that we'll like you any less because you insult us every now and again?" She tilted her head from side to side. "The boys from Camelot insult each other all the time when they're competing."

Alter's eyes narrowed. "This conversation is starting to annoy me…"

But is it because she's wrong? Or that it's true and I can't bear to be wrong?

The queen of France chuckled. "You're so much more open about everything as a berserker." She said again. "But don't worry, I'm sure you can take as long as you'd like or need to sort that sort of thing out. Master strikes me as the patient type."

"Then I'll wait for you as long as you need."

"Always."

The distant memory of his lips kissing her knuckles touched her mind, and it was like a shiver passed through her.

Idiot.

It seemed so long ago now, a week that felt like a thousand years had passed in between. The worst-case scenario, she thought, mildly is that a thousand years could've actually passed. Edmond seemed to be certain it was nine full resets.

But I'd thought it was seven, and Master six.

Her thoughts turned dark very briefly, if they had trapped him here for a thousand years, nothing could save whoever or whatever was responsible for her blade.

Marie Antoinette's smile seemed to widen as they continued to walk. "I know you can't stop all your impulsiveness, it's part of your charm. So just try to let your words lose a little more, and see if it helps with your want to fight everything in sight." She blinked and looked ahead at Lily and the other Jeanne.

"I've already thought of a few insults and criticisms to throw your way." Alter said half smug.

But I won't say them. No need to ruin the "night of fun".

The queen of France still smiled at her. "Of course you do Alter, you've been wanting to call me mean names and insult me ever since we met." She tilted her head with a smile. "Fortunately I also know you're very competitive. Which will help too." She hopped up a couple of times so she could lean out in front of Alter. "But before we get there," Marie smiled with her eyes closed. "Why don't you tell me one of your many honest opinions of me?"

Alter frowned a little towards her.

She must be crazy.

Part of her thought was ironic coming from her. The mad French Queen was actually asking her to insult her? Alter's amber eyes narrowed a little towards her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea." She waved it off and looked away. "Besides, your," she motioned with her hands. "Night of fun is already hanging by a thread for me here."

Marie shook her head, not having it. "No, part of you embracing who you are is to know when you have an opportunity to let off some easy steam." She rubbed her shoulder up against Alters. "Come on. What chance in the entire universe could you, Alter Jeanne D'Arc, ever possibly get a chance to insult me, Marie Antoinette, ever again?"

She pressed her lips together and looked at the French Queen as if she'd been overcome with the very same berserker madness that she'd been.

The queen winked at her. "Just one. I promise not to tell a soul."

Her lip twitched.

Just one?

Alter pressed her lips together tighter together.

She's literally asking for it…

She blinked, her amber eyes narrowing, still suspicious that this was supposed to be some trap for her to make a fool of herself in. In fact, Alter was still so unsure about it that she made a point of still staring at Maire oddly as she finally accepted. "F-fine." She held up her free hand towards her. "But remember, that you wanted this and that there is no backing out now." Her amber eyes flicked away for a second.

Marie Antoinette nodded, accepting the charge.

Alter huffed. "I-I think you're Naive." Her lip twitched. "You're so Naive in fact, that others have to spend so long trying to explain to you the problems with certain topics. But if I'm being honest, that's because of your choice to be ignorant." She paused, wondering if Maire would give her any indication that she'd said enough.

There wasn't one.

So Alter continued, "And your choice of ignorance is probably your most damning thing of all and it can lead to all your other problems." She took a step back. "I mean, look at you?!" Alter huffed a small laugh. "Your happiness is derived from ignorance. You see something terrible and choose to ignore it, or worse you pawn it off as not your problem." She huffed. "You do that even now, knowing that people like Edmond are trying to do something, and you just gave him directions. You're the most selfish, spoiled rotten, ignorant queen in all the long history of France, whose reign inspired a terrible revolution to come that saw Versallies sacked and royalty beheaded."

Marie nodded. "Even myself."

Alter stared at her, her lips curving inwards. "The idea that you of all people should try and tell me how I should be happy, or how I should have fun is ludicrous considering yours is fake-"

The queen leaned forward. "Guilty as charged."

Amber eyes narrowed. "W-what?"

The queen of France tilted her head, "And I'm not ignorant. Not anymore." Her smile faded, and in place was a solemn look. Alter might've even called it sad. "I know what happened to all the people I was in charge of the ruling." Marie's eyes bored right back into hers. "Moreover, I know how to better read people now because of it."

Alter pressed her lips together.

"But." Maire stepped closer despite their locked arms, pressing up into Alter's personal space, her eyes never once leaving Alter's amber ones. "The one insult which I would grant that you are correct in that I do feign my smile, and my happiness sometimes." She tilted her head. "Now, do you want to know why?"

Some venom came into Alter's voice. "Should I care?"

Marie laughed. "But you do care? No matter how hard you may try to hide it, you care a lot." She bounced her head from side to side again. "Otherwise, you wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid hurting yourself, and your master."

She doesn't know anything.

"Why do you feign happiness?" Alter asked, lips compressing tighter together as she finished..

"Because the world ended nine times." She raised her free hand to gesture around them. "And look at all that exists in spite of it." Her fingers squeezed onto Alter's wrist as if she were going to flee. "Look at us, you who never existed who now help the most important organization in all of mankind's history. And a second chance to learn about the behavior of people so I can be better. At least here."

Alter blinked as Marie whispered.

"And look at how our Master's always active. Forcing a smile even when times were darkest for all of us." She chuckled and this time her smile returned to stay.

That stupid idiotic smile.

Alter's breath hitched as a memory came unbidden in one of the darkest hours of her brief time in Babylon when the Gorgon had nearly reached the city, and Leonidious was about to sacrifice himself. A pair of bloodied smiles from the twins as they held firm to keep the monsters off of him with their commands.

Marie once more began to lead them along. "Perhaps smiling is a strength in itself, so long as you know the right times." She chuckled. "And still, despite all of it, our masters have still found reasons to smile. Something that's inspiring don't you think?"

This time the quiet stretched for substantially longer as Alter let herself be led on behind Marie. Her lips curled and she pressed the palm of her hand up against her forehead.

"You're trying too hard to be something you're not." She said pointedly. "So how about another insult?" Marie put a finger to her lips. "Promise not to taddle?"

"You're really starting to annoy me." Alter said through gritted teeth. Only she found something odd to happen this time. The tension in her muscles evaporated, and it was like she felt sore all over. Her frown deepened a little as she glanced down at her hand. She flexed it open and closed a few times.

The queen of France smiled and leaned over to look into her hand. "What is it?"

Her eyes softened a little and she allowed her free hand to fall to her side. "It's nothing. Just thought my mana store was feeling off for a second." Amber eyes flicked ahead to Lily and Jeanne, who'd paused by a bush, waiting for them to catch up." Alter took a deep breath, letting the ocean breeze sway her hair as she paused between bushes for a moment.

Just redirect my impulsiveness.

Marie untwined her arms, to snake onto Jeanne's freehand a few feet ahead of her. Then the three of them continued on. Lily said something that caused both Jeanne and Marie to laugh a little.

And it had caused little Lily to blush, but she still smiled.

Alter huffed a little.

Easier said than done.

Thankfully she wasn't left alone with her thoughts alone, as a familiar restaurant came into view. Emiya's IronChef restaurant. For a second, Alter thought that they would simply be walking past it to go somewhere else. But when she saw Marie, Jeanne, and Lily turn to take the path that would directly lead them to the front porch. She knew this was the place, and then she ran through her mind the brief memories she'd had of the place when they moved their little doujin

club to the upstairs rooms.

It couldn't be that fun here could it?

As Alter turned down the path to follow, the sight of it made her frown. Outside there were plenty of guests, none of them recognizable to her. The server was the exception which was Tamamo no Mae, running around with a platter full of…

Admittedly delicious-looking food.

She stepped through the front doors, once more right behind her current company. Alter rubbed her arm as she looked around. Noting this time, that there was a different Chef than Emiya in the kitchen, it was his Alter that was in the kitchen, pushing dishes out for the restaurant.

I'm surprised that he even lets him into the same space.

In quite the contrast to the daylight hours, instead of King Artoria sitting at the counter to talk with Emiya while he cooked their catch of the day, this time that particularly annoying rider maid was there. She was licking on a popsicle as she watched, leaning casually to one side on an arm, watching Emiya Alter cook.

She seemed to sense someone was looking at her and turned around to see Alter standing in the doorway, by herself. Just a few feet away from the rest. In place of her maid outfit though was a rather revealing dress, and long black coat that sat over her shoulders. She smirked around her popsicle stick and let it hang in her mouth to free her hand, and flipped her off.

Alter felt just a little fire in her eyes, and a small smirk finally replaced some of her confusion as to the choice of venue for the night. She raised her hand and flipped her off back.

Alter Artoria smiled still but went back to ogling her Chef for the night.

Jeanne grabbed her hand, pulling her from her thoughts. "Over here." Some excitement touched her voice as she led the way.

They went around to the hall near the kitchen's main entrance on the side. Though the door they went through was opposite the kitchen. When Marie opened the door almost immediately at the edge of her hearing, Alter could hear the faint sound of music playing. A piano, and soft drums.

Her amber eyes went wide as she looked at the descending stairs to see Cúchulainn dressed entirely in a suited vest and slacks. His red eyes flicked up to them and he smiled a little at them, as Jeanne led the way downstairs.

A speakeasy huh?

Alter was halfway down the stairs, the full room coming into view when the humming to the song started. It drew Alter's eyes off the rest of the room for a second to see who it was who would be singing. Her eyes widened when she saw Carmila standing there, her hips swaying slightly with the soft beat of the drum.

The rest of the room was ordered and filled with mostly servants in contrast to the upstairs. Emiya was currently standing behind the bar making drinks. Unsurprisingly at the bar was also sat King Artoria, though this time instead of a bathing suit she was in a dress to match the more fancy scene that was playing out before her. More importantly, it seemed, her knights of the round were nowhere to be seen.

Medea seemed to be playing around a pool table with Circe, Atalanta, and Achillies. They all seemed to be laughing over something.

"Yo." Lancer greeted as Alter found herself at the bottom of the stairs. He smiled a little at Alter. "I'm surprised you're here. Last I heard you went nuts."

Alter frowned at him.

Jeanne grabbed her hand. "She didn't, she just needs a bit of downtime."

Cúchulainn smirked a little. "Well, I'm the bouncer so if there is any trouble little lady," He winked one of his red eyes. "You'll be dealing with me. And the few tricks I've planned up my sleeve ya see?" Before Alter could get a word in, he bowed his head a little as a sign of respect. "But, if you're looking for a place to relax and unwind, this is the place. You four have fun, and the special tonight is bloody mary's in…" He gestured towards Carmila. "In honor of our current songstress."

No sooner after he'd stopped talking, Carmila's voice filled the air, her hips still swaying with the beat of the music. It wasn't a song Alter recognized but she knew a Jazzy tune when she heard one.

Jeanne, ahead of her, nodded. "When does the karaoke start?"

Cúchulainn shrugged. "I don't think it should be that long." He chuckled and leaned in towards them again. "Our host would also kindly ask you that we avoid giving Elizabeth Bathory any knowledge of this place." He smiled as he stood up straight. "We like the place how it is mind you, and we don't need the building to collapse around us."

Lily huffed. "I also don't want ear bleeds."

"Indeed, little lady." The lancer went back to leaning against the wall and made a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Enjoy your stay."

Jeanne bowed her head, Lily smiled, and Marie looked bashful, as they led the way towards one of the tables.

Alter frowned a little hanging a little further back behind the group. "I'm surprised you let the kids servants down here."

He shrugged, still leaning up against the wall. "It'd be kinda weird if we didn't consider that they've killed things before for Chaldea. And it's not like we have stripper poles for Medb." Cúchulainn seemed to shudder at the thought. "Plus...technically they would all be above eighteen in terms of the existence time."

She hugged herself, as she took a few short steps to follow Maire and the others. "Twenty-one in the states"

The lancer nodded. "Besides, they come down here anyway during the day with the nursery usually. It's sort of their dayroom down here before the evening fun starts for the rest of us. It'd be a shame for it to go unused in some capacity."

Alter hummed a little, and followed after a few steps, seeing where they were sitting. A small table that would fit four uncomfortably. She tilted her head.

Well, I'm here. I don't have to spend all night with them, do I?

Amber eyes flicked past the pool table over towards the bar. Then back to them, with a feeling of quiet content, she chose the bar.

I don't need to intrude anymore on their typical evenings than I might.

She huffed a single laugh at herself. "Even if it's all going to repeat itself next week." Alter-eyed Medea was taking her turn at the pool table. The purple caster had waltzed around to the other side of the table and looked to be aiming an awkward shot, as she half sat on the table's edge to get her best angle.

Alter pulled up a stool for herself in the free spot eyes now lingering on the stage. And the crowd in the tables around it, trying to be more detail-oriented about who was here.

She spotted Blackbeard, Furgus, and Lancelot playing poker in the corner. Alter also noticed that their dealer was Scáthach. Who was undoubtedly about to make the house win this following round. Chiron was waiting to join in with the next round.

Vlad The Third, had his white hair tied back in order to keep his hair from getting in his face while he ate. Nero was across from him draped in the man's black coat that was far too big for her, humming and bouncing her head to the beat of the song.

There was also a singular dancing couple. Cleopatra and Caesar, who seemed to laugh at something the other had said.

Alter hummed at herself.

It...is nice in here…

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" A familiar monotone voice came from behind her.

She frowned and turned around to see Medusa standing there. Gone were the marks and scars from the battle, but she'd also found the time to clean up as well. She was in a server's outfit as behind the bar.

Alter blinked. "You work here?"

Medusa shrugged. "Only at night." She tilted her head a little to the right.

She followed her gaze to Artoria hanging onto Emiya's arm over the bar. A fair few empty glasses between them both. "Ah." Alter said. "At least he was smart enough to keep you around for after-hours then." Amber eyes returned to the greek heroine. "Did you and Medea find the time you wanted to yourselves today?"

Her purple hair fair from behind her ear with a single nod. "We did." Her masked eyes drifted towards Medea. "Not as much as we would've liked but we were thankful for the small amount we managed." The mask turned back towards her.

Silence sat between them, and Alter's lip twisted a little. She was quiet for a few more seconds as she found the words she'd wanted to say. "Thank you for your help." Amber eyes looked down. "We...definitely couldn't have done it without you." Her lip twitched. "Edmond certainly would've gotten himself killed."

Again.

Medusa stared at her quietly, and then she nodded simply. "What would you like to eat or drink?"

Alter blinked. "Ha, right...I'll…" She tilted her head, brow furrowing. "I guess I'll take a Bloody Mary. Then...the Chef's special for dinner."

Whatever an Emiya cooks, I'll probably like it.

The rider servant nodded, writing things down on a notepad of some kind. "Now I should probably see your sisters. Jeanne always likes to have something to eat before she does any sort of performance."

She froze at that.

Performance.

Amber eyes narrowed a little. "That holy maiden performs here?"

Medusa's brow seemed to furrow, indicating narrowed eyes. "Well, she always performs in some manner. She's doing karaoke tonight, but tomorrow she's our songstress for the evening." She paused and walked back to face her. "Why, you want to eat before you perform too?" She glanced down at her notepad. "I can add you to the roster if you like?"

Alter's eyes narrowed a little towards the table the three of them were sitting at. Just when there seemed to be a break in the conversation, out of the corner of her eye Marie took a second to look at her directly, a widening smile on her face.

"Fortunately, I know how competitive you are Alter."

Marie winked.

She ground her teeth together.

That bitch...

They all knew her too well, and they played her like a damn fiddle she knew. Because of course, she couldn't let that holy maiden hold the spotlight. Not unless she gave it her best shot to upheave her.

Alter's frown faded into determination. "Yes. Sign me up."

###